To Get Me To You
by clarabella75
Summary: AH, Emmett/Rosalie, full summary inside
1. Here's The Story

**A/N: This is my second story. It was actually started first, but it's not quite as fluffy so it's taking longer to progress. **

**Summary: Emmett owns a large furniture manufacturing company. He wants to buy the company that Rosalie has inherited from her father. Alice has foreseen their future together but will stubbornness and deception prove to be the undoing of her vision? Hopefully, you'll laugh a little, say "Aww" every now and then, enjoy the Emmett/Rose lovin', and like it in the end...**

**As always: Thanks to my bestie, ghartling, for all the insight, proofreading, re-reading, cheering, and late night texts to find Emmett's voice. :)**

**SM owns, sadly....we're just playing dress up! :)**

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Chapter One:

Here's The Story...

**Alice**

Emmett McCarty is not a man you want to fuck with. A man you'd want to fuck, perhaps, but not fuck with. But, well, eww, and I digress.

So, as I was saying- Emmett is ruthless- in business and in life. He would just as soon sell out his own mother as a stranger. You have something he wants? He'll take it. No questions asked, and usually with less than fair compensation; but you'll still walk away feeling like he did you a favor.

That's why his company is the largest and most successful of its kind in North America. That's why Emmett is one of the wealthiest men in the U.S. That is also why he has no one to share that wealth, and all the benefits that go along with it, unless you count his dog, and I won't let him.

Bottom line- Emmett McCarty is an ass. A wealthy, successful ass. But an ass just the same. No one dare call him on it to his face, though, or his other identity will show up. I call _him_ Mr. Personality. Mr. World's Most Eligible Dickhead would really be more fitting.

Of course, I can call him whatever I want. I hold Mr. Personality's life in my hands. Literally. His entire existence is on my BlackBerry. I make sure he gets up in the morning, is never late for anything, has scotch in his coffee cup and food in his fridge, not to mention gas in his car and someone to walk his lone companion, a golden retriever named LJ.

However, none of that is the reason I can get away with that about which others can only dream. No, that he tolerates for one reason alone- I am his baby sister.

Of course, for the past ten years that's been our little secret. First on a long list of secrets, but, again, I digress. It makes business run a little smoother, not using our real last name. No one outside of the family knows the truth. Through the years, we've found it easier to get away with than we thought. How we've managed to keep our real identity a secret for almost a decade is a miracle really.

But as I sat in my big brother's big, comfy, leather chair that night, looking out at the Seattle sky, I felt like something somewhere was shifting. And perhaps our little bubble was about to burst. And once the first secret was out, our whole house of cards would likely flutter to the ground.

Again, I digress. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Alice. Alice Whitlock.

**Emmett**

So, I'm driven. So what. I'm also determined, logical, pragmatic, straight-forward. That doesn't mean I'm an ass. It also doesn't make me Mr. World's Most Eligible Dickhead who also happens to have multiple personalities.

I want what I want. If you have what I need, I will find a way to get it. If you have what I want, nothing can stop me until I have it. That's not ruthless, it's persistent. Right?

I mean, come on, in ten years, I've taken a tiny, almost bankrupt furniture factory and turned it into the largest manufacturer of household furniture in North America. And we're based in Seattle, not in the Carolinas where furniture reigns supreme. That's saying something. McCarty Furniture has factories in five countries, and distribution centers in six more. We have outlets in all fifty states and Puerto Rico, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro. I could keep going, but since Alice says that listing off my accomplishments is "unbecoming" I'll stop there.

You see my point, though. I have a multi-national corporation that runs because I say it does, and she wants to get all pissy just because I'm not "nice"? Seriously, Alice is an unbelievable assistant. She takes care of me in ways I don't even know about. I would literally be lost without her. I know that. It's part of the reason I put up with her bullshit. But I wish she would stop being so worried about the fact that I'm single.

I have LJ after all. There's a reason they call dogs "man's best friend". LJ comes when I call him. He leaves me alone when I tell him to. He doesn't argue with me about what to watch on television. He never uses my razor and doesn't care if I leave the toilet seat up.

I also happen to have a contact list full of women. Women who will be at my beck and call anytime I ask them. Women who go with me to dinners and charity events. Women who will give me what I need, or want, who will go home with me at the end of the night, leave in the morning and not ask for anything else in return. Of course, I suppose it bears mentioning that I don't know how to access that contact list without Alice there to show me how, but I'm getting off track here. The point is, I may be alone, but I am far from lonely.

I am willing to admit that I'm not pleasant to be around when it comes to business. I am not Mr. Nice Guy, by any means. I do take advantage of every opportunity to get ahead. I would not, despite what my assistant might say, sell out my own mother. My father, maybe. My brother, certainly given the chance. But not my mother. And Alice should know that. She is usually a little more perceptive than that. She is my damn sister after all.

Her perceptiveness is one of the reasons I brought her along on my little adventure ten years ago. I needed someone to help me anticipate what my next move should be. And Alice was always so good at knowing what someone would do next. She was a force to be reckoned with herself in that respect. Of course, no one actually knows that so many of my decisions are based on one of Alice's "feelings". Most people think I'm just that smart or lucky or that I have information no one else has. In reality, though, it's my sister's freakish ability to practically see the future that has landed me accounts, too many clients to mention, and even a woman or two.

So, when I walked into my office that evening to find her curled up in my desk chair, looking out over the city, I knew something was up. She had a feeling something was coming. Only, this time, I didn't think that whatever she was anticipating was positive.

She must have heard the small click of the door closing behind me because she turned around and looked me square in the eyes.

She shrugged her tiny shoulders and said, "I don't know what it is yet. But it's coming soon."

**Alice**

Ok, so maybe the whole secret identity thing isn't number one on the list of secrets that Emmett and I keep from the outside world. The first should really be the fact that I have...well...an ability. I can sort of see the future. Not in an all-out, vision kind of way, though sometimes I do actually _see_ things. It's more of a feeling most of the time. A sudden awareness of what is going to happen. And it's doesn't always work. I can't force them or even know when they'll come. There's usually some reason behind it, some method to the madness, even if I don't know what that is.

The first time it happened, I was four. It was summer, and we were on vacation at the beach. My brothers- Emmett was eight and Edward was six- were playing at the edge of the water. My parents had walked up the beach a little ways to visit with some friends who were also vacationing at the same beach that summer. I was building a sand castle.

That's when the feeling hit. I had this overwhelming sense of panic and loss and fear, way more intense than a four year old should have. I just started screaming. My mother came running back to where I was and scooped me up.

"Alice, baby," she tried to soothe me. "What?! What is wrong? Did you get hurt?" She began looking over my body, searching for signs of an injury.

I remember almost falling out of her arms as I reached toward the ocean. I was only four, and had no idea what was really going on. I said the only thing I could at that moment.

"Eddie," I sobbed.

My mother looked out to where Emmett and our other brother, Edward, had been moments before. Emmett was standing in waist deep water turning from one side to the other, obviously looking for something- or someone.

"Emmett!" My father called as loud as he could. He started running toward the water waving his arms above his head in the hopes of getting Emmett's attention. "Emmett!" he called again.

Emmett turned back around and saw our father running into the surf toward him.

"Edward?" My father called again, this time with his arms outstretched, in a question to Emmett.

Emmett shrugged his shoulders and looked frantically around one more time.

"He was right next to me," Emmett yelled, the panic taking over his voice. "I dove down to pick up a shell for Alice and when I came back up he was gone."

My father had reached Emmett, and they both began diving beneath the surface, trying to find my brother.

Moments later, though it felt like hours even to me, a man several yards away came out of the water with Edward in his arms. Edward was alert, still spitting water out and breathing really hard.

"Carlisle!" The man, one of our neighbors, shouted. "Esme! I've got him!"

My father grabbed Emmett up in his arms and made his way into shore. Once on the beach, my parents and the neighbor gave Edward a good once-over and were satisfied that he was okay. Having a doctor for a father made situations like that a little less stressful, if that were possible.

"Alice," mother turned to where she had sat me on the sand, "did you see Edward go under the water?"

I hadn't. I shook my head and said, "No, Mama."

"Then, how-" she looked between me and the water. "Emmett," she changed her line of questioning, "What happened?"

He stared blankly at her while he processed the events himself. He was only eight, after all.

My father chimed in seeing my mother's concern for me.

"Emmett, could you see Alice from where you were?" He asked.

"Yes, sir," Emmett said, "I looked to make sure where she was before I dove down for the shells. I checked on Edward, too, Mom, I promise I-"

My mother put her hand on Emmett's shoulder and assured him, "No one is blaming you, son. Your brother just got pulled under. He's fine. I'm just wondering how Alice knew what was happening if she wasn't looking."

She turned away from me then, and started talking to my father. I knew they were talking about me, but I could no longer hear what they were saying.

After that, it seemed to happen every now and again. I would know when it was going to rain, even if the weatherman said different. I could always tell Mom if one of the boys was going to come home from school in a bad mood. I could sense simple things like what Mother would make for dinner or what movie my friends would want to go see.

As I got older, I could sense bigger things, too. What colleges my brothers would get accepted to before they even applied. I even knew Jasper was coming into my life before he even moved to Seattle. I knew where and how we would meet, though I didn't force it to happen. I saw Bella in a dream once and knew she was meant for Edward. That was at least six months before they met after she moved to Forks in high school.

When I was twelve, I finally convinced my parents to talk to me about my "freakish ability to practically see the future" as my brothers so affectionately named it.

My mother nodded to my father in some sort of show of solidarity, I think. Of course, I'd only come to them because I knew I would get the answers I was seeking. If I hadn't seen that outcome, I would never have approached them.

"Well, Alice," my mother began, "your father is the best person to explain this to you, I think." She patted his hands. They were sitting on the table top, fingers laced tightly together, knuckles almost white. Then she stood up and walked over to the stove and started making dinner, close enough to offer support, but giving my father and I some privacy at the same time.

My father sat in silence for what felt like a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"You see, Alice," he began, "my grandmother, too, could...well, see things. Like you do." He chanced a look at my face to gauge my reaction. When I wasn't visibly upset, he continued, "She didn't share her secret with anyone but my grandfather, for fear of being thought crazy."

_I understand that_, I thought to myself.

"But she also knew that the ability she had was a gift. She could comfort those around her and offer help when it was appropriate to do so. My mother also shared your ability."

With this admission, my father's expression changed drastically. When he spoke of his grandmother, he did so with a reverence that was palpable. When he turned the discussion to my grandmother, his own mother, whom I loved very much even though she'd been dead since I was six, his tone changed. Instead of reverent and loving, he was sad and disappointed.

"What?" I asked. "What aren't you telling me, Dad?"

"My mother," he stammered, "she used her ability for personal gain. Do you recall anything of how your grandfather's company went under?"

I nodded. I was only six, but being "perceptive" as I was, I knew something was up when my grandfather's business started having problems. I didn't understand the financial aspects of it, of course, but I knew the basics. My grandfather had a windfall of good luck on the stock market. He used his Wall Street earnings to support his business, Cullen Enterprises. Some people thought he had more than luck on his side with the trades he was making, and the federal government got involved. Insider trading, is that what they'd called it?

Suddenly, the pieces began to fall into place. My grandfather didn't have insider knowledge. At least not the kind the government was talking about. My grandmother had told him which stocks to buy. She would have known which ones were going to go up in value. Only, when they got "caught" they couldn't tell the truth. My grandfather almost went to jail, and his business was lost. My grandmother died not long after.

I think my father saw the realization dawn on my face because he reached out and took my hands in his.

"Alice," he said tenderly, "what you have is a gift, truly. Just remember that with this gift comes responsibility. You can not change what is to be, only see it before its time. Do you understand?"

There's a fine line to walk with an ability like mine. I sense what is going to happen, but I just know the outcome. I can't change what I see. It is what it is, I just get a preview. I know this because, despite my father's warning, I tried several times to change what I knew. I tried with small, everyday occurrences. I tried to change my mother's mind when she wanted to have asparagus for dinner. Didn't work. I tried to change my father's mind when he wanted to wear his hideous orange shirt. Didn't work. I tried to tell Emmett if he studied for that test he could change the D I saw into an B, but he wouldn't listen and he still got a D.

So, I've always known that I don't see the things I see because I'm supposed to change them. I see them because I'm supposed to know what's coming.

Of course, that knowledge gave me little comfort when I felt the full weight of our current situation. All I knew for certain was that there was a new company in our future and this company would somehow lead to whatever change it was that I could feel mounting.

I couldn't see the ending, yet. Some parts were yet to be decided. And that always made me nervous.

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**End Notes: Soooo??? Whatcha think? This story is going to take some time and I would love to hear what you're thinking along the way. I have several chapters finished, and they're mostly set up stuff, but the good stuff shall come soon enough I promise! I'm going to get writer's block a time or two-it's already happened once. So, help a sister out and throw me some ideas to keep the brain going, 'kay?! ;)**


	2. Roses and Tulips

**A/N: This chapter is kind of a hodgepodge of POVs. I felt like I needed to throw in a little Jasper just for fun. :) **

**As always, SM owns, lucky bitch! :)**

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Chapter Two:

Roses and Tulips

**Emmett**

"Heidi!" I screamed into the intercom. Heidi, one of our office girls, had just walked out of my office and I figured she was right next to Alice's desk. I heard the clicking of her heels as she hurried back through my door.

"Yes, Mr. McCarty?" She asked.

"Heidi," I said, "how many copies of the quarterly report did I ask you to make?"

She cleared her throat and said something, barely above a whisper.

"What?" I demanded. "Don't mumble. Answer me, dammit!"

"Ten, sir," she stammered. "You asked for ten copies of the quarterly report."

"Then why, may I ask, are there only nine fucking reports here?" I tossed the reports across my desk and they fanned out for a nice dramatic effect.

Heidi shook her head, and I think her hands were shaking also.

"I...I don't know, sir."

"Well, I can't very well go into a fucking board meeting where there are _ten _board members and only have reports for _nine _of them, can I, Heidi?!"

She stood stock-still and didn't say a word.

"Well, Heidi?" I asked again. "_Can _I go into the quarterly fucking board meeting with _ten _fucking board members and only _nine _goddamned quarterly reports?!"

She looked down at her feet and shook her head slightly. "No, sir, I guess not."

"Well, then, I guess you've got some work to do. The board meeting is in one hour."

I dismissed her again with a wave and sat down in my chair. I gathered up the nine reports I had thrown across my desk and stacked them up again. I turned to my computer to check my email

and the stock reports.

A photograph on my desk caught my attention. It was a picture of Alice and me in front of the original McCarty Furniture store. That place had been run-down and the owner was about to lose it to the bank when I bought it. Of course, I had a little help from Little Sis on that. She had known where to find the owner, and that he'd like us. As soon as she drove me out to see it, I wanted that little factory so bad, and Alice knew we would get it.

She helped me talk to Dad about how to make it work. She's the one who knew we'd be using Mom's maiden name, my middle name, instead of Cullen.

"I can see the factory, Em," she'd said all bright-eyed. "But it doesn't say Cullen, it says McCarty. McCarty Furniture."

I knew all along, even before the decision was fully made to buy the old place, that Alice would have to be a part of this. I was determined to go and make something out of this business, but I needed Alice and her "feelings" to guide me. I wanted, no I needed, to get out of the Cullen shadow. Edward was on his way to becoming a doctor like dad. I was always the one with the head for business, and we all knew that going into business with the name Cullen would be difficult.

Our grandfather had lost his business, and with it, the family fortune, not to mention the family's reputation. We all knew by now, of course, that there was no insider trading on Grandpa Cullen's deals. But, Grandma Cullen had given him a heads up on stocks, and that hadn't been fair. We didn't blame her, really. She'd just gotten caught up in her ability and went too far.

Even though Grandpa forgave her, and those few who knew didn't blame her, she still carried that burden. She cost the family a lot, and she knew it. I know that's why she died so soon after the collapse of Cullen Enterprises. Technically, she'd died of a heart attack. But the woman wasn't even sixty years old and had never been sick a day in her life. She was heartsick, the way they say animals in captivity can be, after their mate dies. She felt like she'd let Grandpa down. I was only ten, but I could see that much in her eyes.

I took the photo out of the frame and flipped it over. Taped to the back was another photograph. This one was of the whole family in front of the first factory.

Alice, me, Mom, Dad, Edward and his then-girlfriend, now-wife Bella, and Grandpa Cullen. Of course, this one stayed hidden, for my eyes only.

"I love that picture." Alice had slipped into my office quietly and was standing just behind my chair.

I jumped a little. "Jesus, Alice! You scared the shit out of me!" I quickly replaced the photo in the frame and sat it back in its spot on my desk.

"Sorry," she said. "You know, you're all still as handsome as you were back then," she smiled.

"It was only ten years ago, Al," I said.

"Yeah, but you're getting closer to forty now than thirty, ya know?" She giggled just enough to be annoying. "I, on the other hand..."

I cut her off with a swift slap on the shoulder. "...are only four years younger than I am," I finished her sentence for her. She tried to stop giggling and hit me back.

She sat a stack of papers on my desk and picked up one of the quarterly reports. "Have you even read this yet?" She asked, shooting one of her eyebrows up.

"It's my company, Alice, I know what's going on," I snapped.

"But have you read the report yet?" She persisted. She knew I hadn't, but for whatever reason she wanted me to say it.

"Okay, fine," I said in a little harsher tone than I meant to. "No, I haven't read it. Happy? Why? I don't need to read it. You've read it. Hell, you wrote the damn thing! And you'll be there!" The vein in the middle of my forehead was bulging by now I was sure. I was just so stressed with all that was going on, and now with Alice's not-quite-premonition. I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. I took a deep breath and looked up at my sister. "You _will _be there, right?" I didn't look at her when I asked afraid she might say no.

"Calm down, Em," Alice almost chuckled, patting me on the shoulder. "Of course I'm going to be there. God, you can't make a phone call without me. You certainly couldn't survive a board meeting!" She giggled full-on this time and headed out the door.

I grabbed my coffee cup from the desk and headed out toward the outer office.

I like to make the rounds of the outer, lower offices during the day. It keeps people aware that I am, in fact, in the building; and that I do, in fact, know what is going on around the place. Barking at several people along the way helps keep everyone in line, too. I also make regular trips to the factory outside of town.

After I'd made my round through the fifth floor accounting department, I stepped back onto the private elevator that goes straight into my office and was not surprised to see Alice standing there. She had the missing copy of the quarterly report in her hands and another plain manila folder.

She held out the plain folder for me to take and said, "Take a look at this."

I opened the folder to find a single folded sheet of paper inside. I took the paper out and opened it to see a drawing, one of Alice's own. It was a simple pencil sketch, but it was almost life-like. The drawing was of a single, open rose. It was really an exquisite drawing. I'm not sure how long I stared at it, trying to decipher Alice's message before I looked back at her and asked, "What is this?"

"This," she said in a whisper, taking back her drawing and placing it back in the folder, "is what's coming."

**Jasper**

Alice and I have been together for almost nine years. I walked into a flower shop one day to buy my mother flowers for her birthday. I was standing at the counter talking with the florist about which arrangement I wanted when she walked up behind me.

"You should send her tulips," she chimed in.

Surprised by the interjection, I glanced at her without turning my head. I shook my head a little and turned my attention back to the florist, "Please make sure you call _this_ flower shop," I passed him the slip of paper in my hand, "because my mother doesn't think there is any other flower shop in the entire state of Tennessee that has better flowers." I raised one eyebrow at him, hoping he understood my need to satisfy my loving mother. "It is her first birthday since I moved to Seattle and..."

I was distracted by the bouncy little woman beside me. "Really," she said, "you should get her tulips." This time I looked at her.

She couldn't have been five feet tall, and her tiny frame seemed almost electrified with her energy, and it was contagious once you looked into her eyes. They were sparkly- not quite green, not quite blue- and once I looked into them I was lost, dazzled almost. Without looking back at the florist, I handed him the business card from the flower shop back home and my credit card and said, "Tulips, please."

An hour later, Alice and I were walking through the park talking like old friends. I told her that I had just moved from Nashville, and I was working as an intern at an architect's firm. She just nodded.

"So, why were you in the flower shop just now?" I asked, it had occurred to me that she hadn't actually bought any flowers.

She smiled an adorable smile and winked at me. She put her hand around my arm at the elbow and laced the fingers of her hands together. "I was there for you," she said.

I was confused and must have looked it because Alice let out a little giggle and said, "Yes, that's what I said. I was there for you."

"I'm sorry," I said, clearing my throat, "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"That's okay," she chimed. "You will."

I left her at the park entrance, with her phone number in my hand.

"Call me," she said, "when your mother calls you to tell you how much she loves the tulips."

"Will do," I said, slipping the card into my pocket.

"She's going to say, 'Jasper, my darling boy, those tulips are the most beautiful shade of red I've ever seen' "

I looked at her dubiously, since the florist had said there was no way to know what color tulips the other flower shop would be able to get, and crossed my heart with my finger.

Two days later my mother called, saying exactly what Alice had said she would. I called Alice as soon as I hung up with my mother. We were inseparable after that. She shared her gift with me on our first date. We were married eight months later.

**********************************

It had been two weeks. Two weeks and Alice hadn't gotten so much as a peek about the weather. It was making her really tense, which was making me really tense. She felt out of control so I felt out of control. This whole thing was starting to take its toll on us.

"Jasper!" She hollered one night from the bathroom, "So help me God if I walk in this bathroom one more time and step on your dirty boxers I'm taking every pair you have and shredding them! Do you hear me?! You will be permanently commando, mister!"

I rolled my eyes and let out a small sigh.

"And don't you roll your eyes at me either!"

I was across the house, but _that _she could see!

I tried everything I could imagine- back rubs, bubble baths, aromatherapy candles, spa CDs of soothing music- nothing worked. Poor Alice was so upset over not being able to give Emmett more information. She kept seeing that rose in her head, but that was all she could seem to get.

"It's so frustrating," Alice sighed as she fell into my lap one night. She laid her head on my legs and I ran my fingers through her hair. "I just wish I'd see something, anything, more. I know there's more. I can feel that much. I just wish..."

"Al, honey," I tried to calm her, "we both know it doesn't work like that. Your gift is unpredictable. You know you'll see what you're supposed to see when you're supposed to see it." I ran my fingers through her hair and down her back and up again until she finally fell asleep.

**Alice**

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since I last had any sort of premonition about what was coming. Sure, I'd started to see simple things every now and again, but I didn't really care what kind of car my neighbor was buying or what Edward was getting Bella for her birthday. At night I dreamed of the rose. It was just a rose, though, nothing more.

I was, once again, sketching the rose when Angela Weber came storming into the outer office and slammed the door.

"Hi, Angela," I said, stashing my now rose-covered notebook in my lap.

"Is he in there?" Angela asked, pointing to Emmett's closed door.

"Well," I started to get into Assistant mode, "he is, but..."

Angela held up one finger to me, "Do _not _give me that assistant 'He's in there, but he's really too busy to see you right now' bullshit! I need to see him now!"

"Okay," I said. I picked up my desk phone and hit the intercom button.

"Mr. McCarty?...Yes, Ms Weber is here to see you...I know, sir, but...yes, sir...yes, sir...okay, sir." I put the receiver down and gestured toward Emmett's door. "Go, ahead."

**Emmett**

Angela Weber was the only female executive at McCarty Furniture. When she first came to me for a job eight years ago, I was reluctant, but Alice said she had a "good feeling" about Angela, so I hired her on the spot. Turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. Angela was VP of Acquisitions and was brilliant when it came to finding and obtaining property for the company. She'd found every piece of land we'd ever acquired since I bought the original factory. She was like a force of nature when she was working.

My office door flung open and slammed shut in what seemed like one motion.

"Good morning, Weber," I said. "What's the big emergency?"

"This," she said, placing a thick dossier on my desk. I opened it to see a glossy photograph of a factory.

"And what exactly is this?"

"This," she said as she took the chair across the desk from me, "is a factory in Texas, and we're going to buy it. Technically, it isn't up for sale, but it should be. The new CEO inherited the place. She's got no experience, and best I can tell didn't even know she was getting the place."

I closed the dossier. "We don't need a factory in Texas, Weber." I knew never to question her when she'd found property for the company, but it was too much fun giving her hell not to do it.

She opened the dossier again and said, "I _know _we don't _need_ a factory in Texas, McCarty, but if you'll read the damn report you'll see why you _want _this factory. Trust me, if we don't buy this place and fast, it's going to be gone and you're going to be sorry."

I glanced at the photograph again and said, "Fine, I'll read the damn report and see what's so special about this factory." I put my glasses on and turned my attention to her report, waving my hand toward the door. "Don't let the door hit you in your cute little ass on the way out, Weber."

She turned to leave, but she looked over her shoulder and said, "You know, McCarty, if I was into guys I might think you were hitting on me."

Without looking up, I shot back, "You know, Weber, if you were into guys, I would have fucked you instead of hiring you."

She laughed and left me to read.

Alice and I sat in my office, three hours later, eating Chinese take-out and going over Weber's file on Hale's Angel.

"This is it, Em," Alice said. "I can feel it. This is what we've been waiting for." She flipped through the pages again and stopped at the photograph for what must have been the fiftieth time.

I tossed my glasses down on the stack of papers and laid my head on the back of the sofa. I closed my eyes and sighed, "If there's one thing I've learned over the years, Alice, it's that I don't question Weber when it comes to real estate. If she says we need to buy something, then that's what I do. But if you're saying this factory is the thing you've been seeing, then I'm not so sure."

Alice was quiet for a minute. I figured she was just thinking about what I'd said or maybe trying, in vain, to make herself see something. Then I heard paper rustling.

"Emmett," Alice scooted closer to me and patted my leg, "look at me." I opened my eyes and turned my head without sitting up. "You have to buy this place, Em."

"Are you sure, Alice?" I asked.

She held up a piece of paper for me to look at. I don't know how we'd missed it. It was just an assets disclosure that the real estate agent had drawn up, but at the bottom, it had been approved by the company's new CEO. There, at the bottom of the page was the signature.

_Rosalie Hale_

"_Ros_alie?" I asked, not quite believing what I was seeing.

"That's not all, Em," Alice whispered, "look at the stamp under her name."

The insignia was small, but I would have known it anywhere. Alice had been drawing it for three weeks.

I took the paper from Alice and walked to my desk. I picked up the phone and dialed Angela Weber's cell.

"Weber," I said when she answered, "I want that factory in Texas."

**End Notes: So.....whatcha think??? **


	3. Airports and Cable Porn

**A/N: thanks to G for the super-fast beta after returning from her fun-filled mini vaca! :)**

**As always, SM owns, I just covet! :)**

**____________________________________________**

Chapter Three:

Airports and Cable Porn

**Alice**

As soon as we stepped off the plane in Austin, I could feel something. Maybe I was just too far away before because being in her city definitely made the sensations clearer.

Emmett was barreling through the crowded terminal at Austin Bergstrom International Airport toward the escalator that led down to the baggage claim. He didn't even notice that I stopped. I was feeling light-headed, dizzy almost, and I needed to sit down. I dropped into the nearest row of awful plastic chairs and let my bags fall at my feet. I sighed and let my head fall back. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. If I could filter out all the noise around me I could, hopefully, feel whatever it was I could tell was there.

After what felt like a million yoga breaths, I knew. I had the answer. And it had nothing to do with furniture.

I took one last deep breath and let the sounds of the busy airport come back into focus. I opened my eyes and looked around. Emmett had not come back in search of me yet. I could picture him on the escalator, rambling on about how his luggage better not have gotten lost or damaged, cursing me for letting Edward and Bella use his private plane this weekend for their trip to Jacksonville, forcing us to fly commercial, even though it was first class . I could imagine the looks he was getting while he was talking to himself, thinking I was behind him.

I giggled as I picked up my bags and headed for the escalators. As I stepped on the top step and descended toward the baggage claim, I spotted Emmett as he stepped on the bottom step, heading up. I stuck my head into the space between and waved.

"Jesus Christ, Alice!" He yelled. "Where the hell have you been?!"

As we passed one another, I shrugged my shoulders, "Dropped my bag at the gate." I turned around on my step to stay with him as he rose and I dropped lower. "You were too fast." I turned back around and sighed.

I wasn't sure what to tell Emmett. I'd never lied to him about a premonition before, and I didn't want to start now. But I couldn't tell him everything I saw. He might not believe me, even though I'm _never _wrong. Plus, there are some things in life you shouldn't see coming, which is why I wasn't sure why I saw what I saw. So, I had to decide how much to tell him and how to keep the rest from slipping out before its time.

I reached the bottom of the escalator and was waiting for Emmett to make his way down when my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I looked at the caller ID.

_Angela Weber_

"Hey, Angela," I answered.

"Hey, Alice. I assume you've landed?"

"Just about twenty minutes ago. Headed to baggage and then to the hotel."

"Is he still pissed you made him fly commercial with the peons?"

"A little," I laughed. I was watching Emmett struggle to stand still on the escalator. He was so big and the airport was so crowded. "Though, I am enjoying watching him mingle with the masses."

"You should have a fax waiting at the hotel," Angela said.

"The comps?" I asked. Angela was supposed to be sending me a fax with the real estate comparisons for Austin businesses. We were going to try and buy a company that wasn't technically for sale so we needed to be prepared.

Emmett finally made his way off the escalator and over to where I was waiting.

"Fuck, Alice," he grumbled. "I swear to God you no longer have permission to loan out the jet!"

"Tell McCarty to man up and buy another jet," Angela laughed into my ear.

"Angela says to man up and buy another jet," I snickered.

"Tell Weber to go fuck herself. Better yet, go fuck Stanley. And video tape it for me!" Emmett said, leaning in toward the phone.

Knowing what was coming next, I held the phone out and up to Emmett's ear.

"McCarty, you sick bastard, not even if you paid me!"

"I _do _pay you, Weber!"

"Fuck you!"

"You wish!"

I took the phone back and hit END. I swear for two grown ups, these two were like teenagers when they got going at each other, only without the sexual tension, I suppose. I looked up at Emmett through my eyelashes and, in the best imitation of our mother I could muster, said "Seriously?"

"Can we just find our fucking bags and get the hell out of here please?" He stomped off toward the conveyor belt that was dropping luggage muttering to himself about the fate of his new Prada duffle bag.

**Emmett**

By the time we arrived in Austin I knew all there was to know about Hale's Angel. At first glance, and again at second and third glances, it was a solid company. Good product, decent sales. They were small, a niche company, with one factory and distribution center in Austin and stores in Austin, Houston, Abilene and Oklahoma City. The company had been making a profit since almost day one. They specialized in bedroom furnishings, from baby cribs to four poster Victorian canopy beds. They even had a bit of a specialty department.

"_Em," Alice said while looking over one of the Hale's Angel quarterly earnings reports, "Check this out." She handed me the report. "What do you think 'specialty bedrooms' are?"_

"_Could be customized furniture to fit a room's size or shape. Could mean some sort of furnishings for handicapped or disabled people..." I let my voice trail off as I read further in the report._

_Concealed tie downs. Hidden trundle-type benches. Sub-foundation storage with locks. Canopies with decorative/functional threading posts._

"_Or," I said, stifling a chuckle, "it could be that they have a line of kinky sex furniture."_

_Alice laughed, thinking I must be joking._

"_I'm not kidding, Al," I said, handing her the page I was reading. "See, tie downs, benches, these folks have a department that specializes in furnishings of the erotic variety."_

_Alice took the page and read the list of items on it. "Shit, Emmett, how did we not know this?"_

"_I don't know, but I'm thinking this is why Weber was so interested!"_

_Alice slapped me on the back of the head the way my mother used to do when I was a teenager and rolled her eyes. Then she traded the report I'd handed her for the now worn disclosure statement and began to study the rose stamp again running her fingers over the embossed symbol._

"_Rosalie Hale," she whispered mostly to herself, "ready or not, here we come."_

Alice had a friend of hers who works at the Seattle Times to do a little research on Hale's Angel and its new president and CEO, Rosalie Hale. It seemed Ms Hale had, indeed, inherited the company from her father. They had been estranged for years prior to his death and she had no idea she would receive the company in his will. She was floundering a little, learning the ropes, but the business was still in good shape. She wasn't really looking to sell. I was going to convince her otherwise.

Alice had made an appointment to meet with our Ms Hale on Friday evening. Of course, that meant we arrived in Austin on Wednesday morning, giving us plenty of time to scope out the factory and maybe one or two of the stores.

Alice was on a mission to find out where she could look at the erotic furnishings. She claimed it was because that was such an interesting part of the business, but I think she just wanted to price one of those beds with the decorative/functional threading posts for her and Jasper.

I was sitting in my bedroom in our suite when my cell rang. I was watching a little Skinimax on television so I picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

"McCarty," I answered, not taking my eyes off the lovely naked blond on the screen.

"Hey, Emmett!" It was Edward's wife, Bella.

"Hey, Bells," I said. "What's up? Having a good time with _my _plane this weekend?" I joked with her a little, still somewhat pissed about Alice's making me fly commercial.

"Yes, Emmett," she said sweetly, "we have had a great trip actually. Thank you for being so generous." Jesus, she was pouring it on a little thick, but that was Bella. She knew I'd always had a bit of a soft spot for her. "So, how's the spying going?" She asked.

"Alice is doing most of the reconnaissance work for me. I'm just hanging out in the suite, watching a little cable porn, waiting for her to come back and tell me what she found." Bella giggled at my honesty. "We're heading over to see the factory in the morning. She's booked us on one of those silly tours that places give. It's fucking genius, if you ask me!" I was wearing only boxers so the hard on I was getting from the movie I was watching was quickly becoming something that was going to demand my attention.

Bella gave a good chuckle, imagining Alice and I trying to be inconspicuous on the tour probably. "Well, that sounds like fun," she said. "The spying, not the porn," she added. I could imagine the blush that was taking over her cheeks just saying the word.

I was a bit distracted by the movie on the television. The blond from the earlier scene was now joined by a redhead dressed in a nurses uniform. _This little flick is getting good_, I thought as the slight hard on I'd had grew into a much bigger problem, _but I'd really rather not be talking to Bella while I get myself off watching cable porn._

"Uh, Bells," I said, shifting myself so I could free myself from my shorts. The blond was undressing the redhead using only her teeth. "Is there something I can help you with? I, uh, kinda need to go. Work to do, you know? Things to get off, um, I mean done."

Bella laughed and cried, "Eww! Emmett!" I could hear the phone shifting hands as she called, fully blushing by now I was sure, "Edward! Come talk to your brother! I'm not talking to him while he masturbates!"

Edward grabbed the phone, "God damn, Emmett, you couldn't have kept that to yourself?"

I laughed, "Well, she asked what I was doing, and I'm watching porn on the hotel tv so..."

He interrupted me, "Okay, okay! Can you please just stop for a fucking minute so I can talk to you without getting that particular visual?"

"Fine," I said, though I didn't actually remove my hand from my dick. "What?"

"Well, Bella and I were thinking about coming to Austin tonight. We were going to head home to Forks, but we figured we'd stop in Austin, see you and Alice. Then we'll fly home commercial on Friday, and you can have your precious plane back for your trip home on Sunday."

"Dude," I said, absentmindedly stroking myself, "you rock. I mean it, kid, best fucking brother ever."

Edward laughed and said, "We'll be there in about three hours. Are you at the Four Seasons?"

"Yep," I said, really starting to tune him out.

"We'll see you tonight, then," he said.

"Okay," I said, hitting the END button and tossing my phone to the floor. The movie was getting more intense and I had a little business to attend to.

**Alice**

I was standing in the middle of one of four Hale's Angel showrooms in the Austin metropolitan area when it hit me- Edward and Bella would be here tonight. Somehow, Edward was now part of the plan. I couldn't quite see how or why he fit in, but he was definitely there now.

I wrapped up the notes I was taking on the showroom, I had a few ideas about how to better utilize this space if, no when, we owned it. The salesgirl Vicki had been really helpful and knowledgeable, and I hoped they would keep their jobs once the change in ownership was complete. I had even found out that the "Specialty Bedrooms" division of Hale's Angel had it own showroom on the second level of the downtown location. Vicki had given me the card of the manager at that showroom and told me to be sure and let Ben know that she'd sent me. I was going to check that showroom out tomorrow. Now, Bella would be able to go with me.

I foraged through my bag and found my cell, speed dialing Emmett as soon as I had it in my hand.

"Hey, Al," he said. "Did you find anything interesting on your little shopping trip?"

"Yes, I did, as a matter of fact," I said, heading for the door trying to remember where I parked the Porsche I'd rented. "But that's not why I'm calling," I said, "I'm calling because I just saw that Edward and Bella..."

He cut me off, "I know. They called a while ago. Edward said they'd be here around eight."

"Good, well then, get cleaned up and we'll all go out tonight," I said.

"Cleaned up?" He asked, sounding honestly confused. God, he really was clueless about just how much I knew sometimes.

"Jesus, Emmett, you really think I don't know you've been watching porn? Go take a shower and get dressed."

"How in the hell would you know that?" He asked, quickly starting again before I could speak, "Nevermind, don't answer that!"

I couldn't help but giggle at his panic in thinking that I'd actually _seen _him and his little movie adventures. "God, Em, I didn't mean I could _see_ it, but you always watch porn when you're in a hotel. It's kind of your thing. It's okay, but really, I don't wanna talk about it so..."

"Bye, Alice," he said as he hung up on me.

I pressed the buttons on the remote and followed the beep to my car. As I sat in the driver's seat, I had to reach over and grab my sketch pad out of my bag. I started drawing furiously and didn't stop for a full five minutes. When I was done, I blinked my eyes out of the fog that often accompanies a premonition, and looked at the drawing. It was the rose again, only different. This time, it was the rose at the top, but it morphed at the bottom into what looked like another flower. I couldn't tell what kind, a jonquil maybe? Or a calla lily? I wasn't sure, and I certainly didn't know what it meant. I shook my head clear and put the sketch pad back into my bag and started the car, driving toward the hotel. Edward and Bella were on their way, and I couldn't wait to see them.

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**End Notes: SO...R&R please!!! let me know what you like, don't like, what you want to see more of...thanks to those of you who have this on fave/story alert! that makes it soooo much more fun!!**


	4. Company

**A/N: Nothing too huge here, but we're getting to the good stuff...very, very soon! :)**

**Thanks to my fab beta, ghartling, as always!**

**It goes without saying, but must be said~ SM owns, I merely borrow!**

****************************************************************************

Chapter Four:

Company

**Alice**

Edward and Bella arrived right on time, as always. I was waiting in the lobby of our hotel by seven-fifteen and at eight o'clock on the dot, in they walked. People in the lobby actually stopped to take notice of them. It was understandable, really. They were quite a beautiful couple. Edward had our father's green eyes and our mother's unruly bronze hair. He was my brother, but I could still appreciate the fact that he was extremely handsome. He had an air about him that just drew people in. Bella always said he was "dazzling". Edward had certainly dazzled Bella when they first met. She moved to Forks when they were in eleventh grade and once they finally got together, they had rarely spent a day apart since. Of course, Bella was dazzling in her own way. She would never accept the compliment, but she was classically beautiful. She had wavy chestnut colored hair that flowed almost to her waist and big brown eyes. Her lips were full and naturally pink. Like I said, they really were just plain pretty.

As I watched them make their way to the main desk to check in, I thought about how happy they were, how happy they'd always been. Then I thought about me and Jasper and how happy we were. That made me think about our parents. Carlisle and Esme Cullen were two of the happiest, most in love people I had ever known. And as I thought about our family and how everyone was happy and loved and settled, my mind went to Emmett. I had seen how this trip, this company, and this woman were going to change his life. I just hoped that the outcome I was seeing was the real one and not just the one that I was wanting so desperately for my big brother.

The sound of Edward clearing his throat and the sudden appearance of Bella's hand waving in front of my face brought me back to reality. I shook my head clear for the second time tonight and jumped up off the couch.

"Bella!" I screamed as I pulled my best friend into a huge hug. I reached my left arm out and dragged Edward into our embrace. "Edward, oh, I am _so_ happy to see you, both of you!" I could feel the tears starting to prickle in my eyes. I stepped back and held them both at arms length. We hadn't seen each other in months, and it felt like years. "You both look fabulous, as always!" I said. Bella blushed as usual, and Edward snaked his arm around her waist and held her tight to his side.

"Well, let's get you two settled in so we can go out!" I cried, turning and taking them each by one hand on either side of myself and heading for the elevator. Once the doors had closed and we were alone in the elevator, Bella turned to me and looked at me closely.

"Ali," she said, taking both of my hands in hers and squeezing them, "what is going on? Tell us, please, what have you seen?"

I didn't know where to begin. I started with the first feeling and talked as fast as I could to get to the latest picture I had sketched before we landed in front of their suite, just down the hall from where Emmett and I were staying.

"...so you see, I don't know what to tell him and what not to tell him, Bella. He's going to love her, I know it, I just know it. But if I tell him too soon,"

"Alice," Edward interjected, "are you sure that you 'know' he's going to love her, or is that just your own desires for our brother sneaking in?"

He had a point, and I'd been asking myself that very question all day. "No, Edward," I assured him, "I _know_ it. I know that is the end result. Of course, like most of the time I don't know how he gets there from here. The problem is, how do you tell someone that they're about to meet the person they're meant to be with?"

Edward and Bella simultaneously raised their eyebrows at me and smirked as they stood with their arms wrapped around one another. Certainly, I'd had no problem telling the two of them that they were meant to be together, but that was different. They were different. And I was only fifteen at the time, so I could hardly be blamed for any lack of knowledge about how to handle such situations.

"I think the bigger question isn't _how_ you tell someone they're about to meet the person they're meant to be with, but rather, _should_ you tell them?" Edward so brilliantly pointed out.

"Well, gee, Eddie, let's see, I hadn't thought about that yet," I said, slapping him across the shoulder. "What do you think has me in such a mess, you dope?" I asked and answered before he had a chance to speak, "Of course, I'm wondering if I _should_ tell him. If I tell him and he doesn't believe me, well, that's not good. And if he does, then will that screw everything up? Believe me when I tell you that I have been over this and over this since this morning when it came to me, and I just don't know what to do."

"Surely this isn't the first time you've known something that you couldn't, or wouldn't, share, Alice," Bella said.

"No," I admitted, "but it is the first time that it's mattered so much. Usually, I keep details from Emmett just to watch him squirm a little. But this...this is huge!" I was pacing in front of the door to Edward and Bella's suite now, and I was starting to leave a tiny worn path between their door and their neighbor's.

"Look, sis," Edward took me in his arms and hugged me to his chest. "You know that whatever the reason, you always see what you're supposed to see. You'll share this information with Emmett when the time is right, just like you always do. So, don't worry about it, okay?" He let me loose enough that I could lift my head and look up at him. He was looking down his nose at me with an expectant gleam in his eyes. I nodded and buried my face back into his chest, squeezing him one more time before he released me and headed into his room.

I headed to my room, calling over my shoulder, "Thirty minutes!"

I swiped my key card and walked into my apparently empty suite. "Emmett!" I called. Figuring he must be in the bathroom, I walked into the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator, when I saw his note.

_Al- _

_Gone to the bar. Get Edward and Bella and meet me there._

_-Em_

**Emmett**

I love Edward and Bella as much as Alice does, but I don't see the need to throw a ticker tape parade every time they visit. But that's Alice. It's who she is, and I love who she is, so I don't bother with trying to talk her out of those things. Her excitement and her passion is what makes her so easy to be around. So, when she was headed for the lobby a full forty-five minutes before Edward had said he and Bella would be arriving, I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. I took a shower and got dressed. Alice had been right, of course, that I needed to clean up a bit. I tossed my thankfully unscathed duffle bag on the bed and pulled out some boxer shorts and a t-shirt, then went to the closet in search of something to wear. Alice had packed for me, of course, and knowing how she felt about all things fashion, deciding what to wear was more of a challenge than it really should be for a guy. I'm not sure if being a thirty-five-year-old man who fears for his life every time he gets dressed because he doesn't want to incur the wrath of his four-foot-eleven-inch baby sister makes me a wuss, but I really don't care. I'd rather spend twenty minutes choosing the right tie than have Alice go bat-shit crazy because I picked the wrong one. I thought about calling her to find out which pair of black pants were for going out and which ones were for work, but decided against it. She'd be so caught up in Bella, she probably wouldn't notice. I put on two different socks, both black but in differing patterns, just to see if she'd notice. Then I left her a note and headed downstairs to the bar.

I'd just ordered my second glass of scotch when I saw them enter the lounge area. I waved them over to where I was and stood to greet my brother and his wife.

"Edward! Bella!" I waved my hand over my head as I called over the noise of the growing crowd. I reached out and shook Edward's hand and pulled him into a hug. He backed away and Bella stepped up, arms outstretched. I scooped her up off the floor and gave her a bear hug.

"Emmett..." she sounded like she was choking, "...can't...breathe..." I realized I was squeezing her too tight and set her back on her feet. She patted my shoulder and then put her tiny hand on my cheek.

"Em," she said sweetly, "it's so good to see you. I've missed you."

"Me, too, Bells," I said, leaning my head so her hand was pressed between my cheek and my shoulder.

"So," Edward clapped his hands and rubbed them together quickly, "what are we drinking? Scotch for you, Emmett? Alice? Bella? Would you ladies care for a glass of wine?"

"Yes, please. I'd like a..." Bella started, but was quickly interrupted by Alice yanking on her arm.

"No, guys, we're not staying here!" She looked at us like we'd all gone mad. "Damn, we're going _out_!" She took my scotch out of my hand and sat it on the bar. "You pay for that?" She asked me. I shook my head. Alice jumped up on the bar stool on her knees and leaned across the bar. She grabbed the unsuspecting bartender by the arm and cocked her head to the side, grinning from ear to ear. "This one here," she said, pointing to me with her thumb. "Room 2527, 'kay?" The poor bartender just nodded and smiled back at her. She hopped down from the barstool and straightened out her skirt before skipping toward the door. When we didn't immediately follow, she turned and put her hands on her hips and started tapping her foot. Laughing at her inability to find any patience, we all headed for the door.

Once we were in the limo that Alice had arranged for the trip, Bella finally asked, "So, Alice, where are we going anyway?"

"Oooohhh! Bella! It's the most fabulous area! There are all these great bars and restaurants and it's all right near the water and we're going to start at this little Irish place called B.D. Riley's..." She was shrieking now and I did my best to tune her out, even though the prospect of really good Scotch was appealing, turning instead to my brother.

"So, Edward, how was Jacksonville? I hope Renee' is doing well." Edward and Bella had been to Jacksonville to see her mother. Renee' was, well, interesting to say the least. She was a bit erratic and a little harebrained, but she was also passionate and kind, and Bella really was so much like her.

"Renee' is good," Edward answered. "She and Phil are moving again. Something about the spiritual energy of the house, I don't know..." he shrugged his shoulders, rolling his eyes, and I laughed.

"Well, that certainly sounds...um...interesting..." I chuckled.

"So, tell me about this company you're buying." Edward said, "Alice says she's seen something." Of course, Edward knew first hand that you didn't ever bet against Alice and her premonitions. It had been he who had been saved at the beach by her very first premonition when she was only four years old. It had been Alice who had foreseen Bella's moving to Forks and their eventual pairing. It had been Alice who had known every time that Bella ever got into any sort of trouble and needed Edward's help, which was quite often since Bella was a total klutz and often needed help walking across an empty floor. So, Edward understood why I took Alice's premonitions about this latest acquisition so seriously. I told Edward all about the vague feelings at the beginning and about how Angela had burst into my office insisting that I look into this company. I was about to fill him in on the "specialty bedrooms" division, stopping first to tell him about the night we discovered the signature stamp on the disclosure when Alice suddenly screamed, a high pitched scream unlike any sound found in nature. I jumped so hard I sloshed my scotch onto my hand, nearly dropping the whole glass into my lap.

"Alice! What the hell is wrong with you?!" I asked, shaking the scotch off my hand.

She scooted over to my seat and reached into her pocket. "Shit! Emmett, I almost forgot! I was leaving the Hale's Angel showroom today when I found out that Edward and Bella were coming to town. And so I started thinking about how we should all go out tonight, right? And I couldn't find where I'd parked the Porsche so I was a little distracted, but then I pushed the button on the remote and the alarm beeped and so I headed..."

I put my hand up in front of Alice's face and covered her mouth. "Get to the fucking point or shut the hell up, woman," I said. I raised my eyebrows at her and waited for her to nod in agreement before removing my hand, but not before she stuck her tongue out and licked me. "God dammit, Alice! What was that for?!"

"For putting your hand over my mouth, you moron!" She yelled. "Now," she sat back against her seat, holding whatever it was she had taken out of her pocket in her hand and continued, "as I was saying, I finally got into the car and when I sat down, I got a flash. Another picture. So I grabbed my little sketch pad out of my bag, and I drew this." She unfolded the small sheet of paper and handed it to me. At first, it resembled the original rose drawing that she had done, but this one was indeed different. It was the rose at the top, but as the lines travelled down the page, the rose morphed into something else, another kind of flower, but I didn't know what kind.

"What is this?" I asked, passing the paper to Edward who shared it with Bella. "What kind of flower is that at the bottom? And what the hell does it mean?"

Alice shrugged her tiny shoulders, the weight of the uncertainty showing in her eyes. "I don't know. I think it's a jonquil maybe or some kind of..."

Bella interrupted, "It's a lily. A calla lily," she said confidently.

Alice took back the drawing and studied it more carefully. "Maybe you're right," she said.

"I know I'm right," Bella smiled. "Esme planted some calla lilies in the garden at the house in Forks just this year. Last week she brought some over to Charlie's house when we all had dinner over there. Of course, I have no idea what it means as far as you're concerned, but it is definitely a lily."

Satisfied with Bella's confidence, Alice folded the paper back up and placed it in the inside pocket of my jacket. She patted the outside of my jacket over the pocket and contemplated, "First a rose. Now a lily. What the hell? I am obviously missing something here."

I shrugged my shoulders and downed the remainder of my scotch. "Maybe you've got it all wrong, Al. Maybe you're just supposed to plant a garden." I looked at her out of the corner of my eye and even then I could see her face getting redder and redder and her eyes narrowing into tiny little slits and her mouth puckering up. I winced before she even raised her hand, but I knew she was going to....**WHAP!**...slap me.

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**End Notes: reviews make the chapters go up faster! :)**


	5. Lily

**A/N: We're getting to the good stuff here, folks! ;) This chapter is loooong but there's A LOT going on...**

**As always, thanks to my super-beta, ghartling, for the quickie millionth-read over this chap so I could post it early!**

**Much to my dismay, SM still owns... :)**

**________________________________________________________________________**

Chapter Five:

Lily

**Emmett**

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz.

_Is that my phone?_

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz.

_That is my phone. Where'd I leave it?_

I reached out to feel the bedside table, and felt around until I found the vibrating offender.

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz.

I opened one eye and looked at the screen.

_Alice._

_Why is she calling me instead of just coming into my room like always? Maybe she's already gone. Jesus, I feel like hell. I wonder what time it is._

I rubbed my eyes and pressed the green button on the phone. Before I could even say anything, she was screeching, "Emmet McCarty Cullen, where the hell are you?!"

_What? Did she just ask me where I am? I'm in the bed, stupid._

"Um, I'm in the bed, Alice. Where are you?"

"Well," she huffed, "_who's _bed are you in? Huh? Because I'm sitting on _your_ bed, and guess who's _not _in it?!"

"Alice, you're not making any sense." I rubbed my eyes again and opened them both this time. White ceiling. I felt the bed beside me. Soft, expensive sheets. I looked to the table on my right. Brown bedside table, lamp, digital clock that read five-forty-five a.m. _Jesus, Alice, do you even sleep? _ I turned my head to my left. Blonde. That's all I could see. Lots of blonde. I rubbed my whole hand on my face and blinked my eyes a couple of times before looking back to my left. Yep. Blonde. Waves and waves of blonde.

The sound of Alice clearing her throat in my ear brought me back to her. "So," she said, in that sing-songy voice of hers that is so damned annoying, "wanna tell me where you are now?"

_Oh, would that I could, sis, would that I could._

"Umm...I'm gonna have to call you back, Al." I said as quietly as possible, hitting the red button on the phone before she had time to protest. I quickly turned the phone completely off so when she immediately called back, it would go straight to voice mail. Let her verbally abuse me there. I had to think. Where the hell was I? How did I get here? Who's the blonde? I was trying to sneak out of bed to investigate a little, and maybe piss and try to find something I could use to brush my teeth with. I peeked under the covers. Yep. Naked. I lifted the covers to my left just a little and saw Blondie's bare back. Naked, too.

_Okay, Emmett. Think. What is the last thing you remember? Hmm...let's see. Alice, Edward, Bella and I went to that Irish place, Riley's was it? Edward and I found a table while Alice and Bella got drinks. They came back with beer. I wanted scotch so I went back to the bar. I ordered two Macallans and sat to wait for them. That's when Blondie walked up and ordered a Macallan, too. Only when she got hers she downed it, like it was bourbon or something. I remember thinking she was crazy, but hot. Think, dammit, what happened then? Well, obviously, I know what happened then, but fuck, what's her name? I have to come up with her name before she wakes up. And what did I tell her my name was? I always use someone else's name, whichever name comes to mind first. Edward and I had been talking about Forks, and Bella's dad before I went to the bar, right? Did I use Charlie? I hope Bella never finds out that I do that sometimes. Of course, I hope Edward doesn't find out I use his name sometimes, too. Wait. Focus, god dammit. Let me see.....she shot the Macallan and ordered another. I made a comment, something about why'd she need so much liquid courage. She said....what did she say? A meeting? Something important to her future? Whatever. Name, Emmett, what's her fucking name?_

Blondie started to stir a little. I laid as still as I could, hoping she'd stay asleep. I slowly pulled back the sheets and slid out of bed. I picked up my clothes off the floor. Thank God they were right there. I saw the bathroom behind the door just to the right of the bed. I headed in and quietly shut the door. I tossed my clothes on the countertop and went to the sink. I splashed some water on my face and rinsed my mouth out with cold water. I pulled on my pants and put my shirt on, buttoning it up before grabbing my jacket off the counter. That's when the slip of paper fell out. I bent down to pick it up and remembered it was Alice's sketch. I unfolded the little square and then it hit me so hard my head actually started to hurt.

_Lily. Her fucking name is LILY! Just like Alice's drawing. Shit. What the hell? I have to remember everything that happened. But first I have to get out of here. _

I slipped the drawing back into my jacket pocket before I opened the bathroom door and peeked out to see if she was still asleep. Thankfully, she was. I tiptoed to the bed and gathered up my watch, phone and wallet off the bedside table. I walked around to her side of the bed to try and see her face again, I did remember she was beautiful. I glanced at her and saw on her bedside table, a slip of paper with my handwriting on it. It had the name "Eddie" written on it, along with the number to my extra cell phone. Alice said once that if I was going to occasionally go out with random women and use fake names, I shouldn't let them have my real number with my real name on my voicemail. She's smart, that sister of mine. So, I'd told Blondie, Lily, that my name was Eddie. I took a pen out of my pocket and turned the paper over, writing her a note on the back.

_Lily,_

_Thanks for a great time last night. _

_I'll be in Austin until Sunday. _

_Call me if you want to get together again._

_Eddie_

I left it where she was sure to see it when she woke up. God, she was really fucking gorgeous, even all messy and asleep. I had to remember everything that happened. Maybe Alice will help me fill in the blanks. When she's finished yelling at me, that is.

I got a cab back to the Four Seasons and made my way to our suite. I stopped at the door, cringing just a little, bracing myself for the tornado of obscenities that was about to be hurled at me. Before I could even turn the knob all the way, the door was jerked away from in front of me, and Alice grabbed me by the lapel of my jacket and yanked me into the room.

"Jesus, Alice! What the hell?!"

"You get your sorry ass in here, mister, and start talking!" She flung me, well as much as someone so tiny could possibly fling me, into the living room and pushed me down on the sofa.

"Alice," I said, rubbing my temples with my palms because that headache was getting worse. "Really? You are not really going to give me a fucking lecture about one night stands, are you? Because I am really not in the mood right now. I need a shower and some coffee and..."

Alice had sat herself down on the coffee table in front of me. "Look, Emmett, I honestly do not give two shits who you sleep with because, well, eww. You're my brother, and that's just _not _what I want to talk about. My problem is that you disappeared in a strange city with a strange woman and you didn't even tell us you were leaving. Did you know that I looked for you for almost two hours down there? Two hours of my life that Edward and I spent looking for you all over down there because you left with some chick and I couldn't _see_ _anything_ and you _Turned. Your. Phone. OFF!_"She didn't even take a breath as that last part got louder and louder. She looked like her head might explode. Well, that or she was going to cry.

"Look, Al, I'm sorry about that, I really am. But to be honest I am not awake enough to remember everything about last night. The last thing I remember clearly is watching her down Scotch like it was Jack Daniel's and being quite impressed and just a little bit turned on by it and then the next thing I know I'm waking up to my phone buzzing. I have no recollection, at least not yet, of what happened in between. I mean, I _know _what happened, but I haven't remembered all the pieces yet so...just please let me take a shower and get some coffee and think, okay?"

"Alright," she huffed, "fine. But don't you _ever _do that to me again, you got it?!"

I nodded my head and started toward the bedroom. I had just reached the bathroom door when I remembered I'd forgotten to tell her. "Hey, Alice," I called out to her, "I almost forgot to tell you...her name."

"And why would I want to know her name?" Alice said, sounding just a little disgusted.

"Because," I said. "Her name was Lily."

It was like she had super human speed or something because I hadn't finished saying it before Alice was in front of me blocking the doorway.

"What did you say?"

"I said her name was Lily. Weird, huh? I guess that little vision you had was kind of about her, maybe?"

Alice put on her thoughtful face and tapped her foot. "Hmm," she said, "maybe, but, Emmett, in my vision, the rose and the lily were linked into one flower. We know who Rose is and now Lily has shown up, but there's got to be a connection between them. I mean, I don't have visions about women you just sleep with. There's got to be something else. Something more. I wonder if they're related. Sisters, maybe? And if that's the case then we could be in for some serious shit, I mean you sleep with one but you're supposed to...well, that could be bad. I mean...." She was in full babbling mode now and pacing.

When she stepped away from the door, I took the opportunity and jumped into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me.

"I'm taking a shower now, Alice. Let me know when you figure it out, okay?"

I think I heard her throw in a few "jackass" and "stupid boys" into her ranting. She announced that she was going to wake up Bella before she yelled through the door, "You better be dressed and ready to leave here in an hour and a half. We have a tour this morning, remember?"

**Lily**

_Was that a door closing? Who is closing doors? Oh, shit! Oh, shit, shit, shit. I brought Monkey Man home with me last night, didn't I? Damn it. Why did I down that Scotch so fast? It got me too drunk too fast and then I turned into Lolita or some shit. Damn it. What's his name? I need to remember his name before he comes back. Eddie! That's it. Eddie. Okay, calm down. I hear water running, so he's in the bathroom. Jesus, I wish I could remember more about what happened last night._

I heard the water shut off and clothes rustling. He was getting dressed. I chanced a peek at the alarm clock on the other side of the bed. Five-fifty. God, it was early. I wasn't sure what to do. Pretend to still be asleep? Be sitting up, awake when he comes out of the bathroom? The one thing I could recall with clarity as the fog of sleep lifted was that he was gorgeous. Well, that and the two, no make that, three orgasms he gave me last night. I could hear him opening the door, and decided that staying still was best. If he wanted to, he could wake me.

I heard him gather up his things from the table, putting his watch on and his wallet and phone into his pocket. Then it sounded like he was walking around the bed. I closed my eyes and waited. I heard him pick up the slip of paper he'd written his number on last night and was afraid he was going to take it away. But then I heard the clicking of a pen and could tell he was writing something else. He left the paper on my bedside table and quietly left the apartment. I listened as the elevator climbed up and then back down, waiting for the sound of the outer door closing. Once I was sure he was gone, I sat up looked around. I walked to the window and pulled back the sheer curtains that exposed the window that faced the street in front of my building. I could see him standing there, waving to a cab that was passing by. He got inside and the cab pulled away. I sat back down on the bed. Realizing now that I was still naked, I pulled the sheet up over my bare breasts and picked up the note he had left for me.

_Lily,_

_Thanks for a great time last night. _

_I'll be in Austin until Sunday. _

_Call me if you want to get together again._

_Eddie_

I'd told him my name was Lily. I did that sometimes when I wasn't sure how things would go with a guy. I know it's juvenile, but I live alone, and it felt safer using a fake name sometimes. It wasn't entirely fake. Lilian is my middle name. Apparently my parents had some kind of flower fetish since they named me Rosalie Lilian, but whatever. It seemed I'd given Eddie the fake name, but even if he agreed to see me again, he was only here for the weekend so no harm done.

I flipped the paper over to be sure the number was still there. He'd be here until Sunday. Today was only Thursday. I had a meeting for work on Friday but that was all. Maybe Eddie would be free some and we could hang out. It would be good to take my mind off things for a while. I decided that I'd call him later that evening and see what his plans were while he was in town. I laid back down in the bed and slid under the sheets. Still too early for me to get up, I took a deep breath and went back to sleep, remembering more of what happened last night.

********************************************************************************

**Emmett**

"So," Alice was enjoying filling Bella in on the not so clear events of last night, "he says he doesn't remember everything, but I know that's bullshit. He just doesn't want to tell me. I mean, I don't want the gory details, but _something _would be nice. There's obviously some connection between Lily and our Ms Hale, don't you think, Bella?" I thought it was funny how Alice always called her "our Ms Hale."

Bella shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, Alice. But it is kinda weird."

The four of us were just finishing the tour of the Hale's Angel factory outside of town. Alice had begged Edward and Bella to come along. We had seen the publicly accessible parts of the factory, and it seemed to be running smoothly. I didn't see anything that looked out of order. No apparent OSHA violations or anything. The workers seemed to be pleasant and actually happy to be at work. I was liking what I was seeing so far. I wished there was a way to get into the offices, just to check things out. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until after our meeting tomorrow night. If things went well, we could come back on Saturday and look around some more.

We walked out into the parking lot and found the rental car. Alice, being so fond of keeping a low profile, had chosen a bright yellow Porsche for herself. She and Bella climbed in, while Edward and I got into the much more discreet black Tahoe parked right beside it. Alice rolled down her window and announced that she and Bella were going to head to the downtown showroom to check out the "specialty bedroom" department.

"Okay, Alice," I said, "you be sure and take good notes, you got it?" I was laughing, imagining Bella in that particular showroom.

Edward was laughing, too, and he called out to Bella, "Yeah, Babe, see if there's anything you think we might need at home, 'kay?" That earned him a killer glare from his lovely, eternally blushing, bride.

Once we were separated from the girls, Edward and I headed back to the hotel restaurant for some lunch. Once we were seated, Edward started with the questions.

"So, Em, what happened last night? It's not like you to just disappear."

He was right. I mean, sure, I'd gone home from a bar with a woman before; but I didn't just leave Alice hanging like that.

"I know, man," I said. "I'm sorry about that. You know, it's weird. I woke up this morning and I couldn't remember anything really. But it's all come back to me over the morning. I remember what happened now."

**Alice**

Bella and I had just arrived at Hale's Angel's downtown showroom. I had the card that Vicky had given me with the manager's name on it, and we were ready to explore the "specialty" bedrooms. Well, I was ready. Bella looked like she might throw up.

We entered the showroom and headed for the main desk. There was a sweet older lady sitting in the chair, on the phone, giving the caller directions to the store. I was excited to see what we came to see and was bouncing on my toes a little.

"Alice," Bella said, placing her hand on my arm, "I already feel queasy. I don't need you to add motion sickness, okay?"

Bringing my feet to a halt, I looked up at Bella. Sweet, blushing Bella. That girl needed to learn to live a little. I was going to have to find something in this place for her and have it delivered to her house. She would freak, of course, but she would know how it would hurt my feelings if she complained about a gift so she'd have to accept it. Besides, I'd go easy on her...maybe. I smiled at the thought of her face when she saw my surprise, and couldn't help the giggle that escaped.

"Um, Alice," Bella was shaking my arm, "This nice lady wants to know do we need any help?" She pointed to the older lady behind the desk, who had gotten off the phone.

I handed her the business card and said, "We need to see Ben, please."

The woman looked at the card and Vicky's handwriting and smiled. "Yes, of course," she said. She stood up and led us through the showroom towards a door on the back wall. On the wall beside the door was a phone. She picked up the receiver and spoke, "Yes, Mr. Cheney, you have customers....Yes, sir, from Vicky....okay I'll send them right up." She returned the phone to it's cradle and turned to us, opening the door in front of her. "Right this way," she said, holding her hand out towards the stairs that were now before us.

"Thank you," I chirped on my way past her. Bella didn't move. "Bella, come on, silly. It's just research, remember." She nodded and took one step. Then another. Yep, I was definitely going to have to buy her something today.

**Emmett**

The waiter appeared and took our order. Edward looked at me expectantly. "You know Alice is the only one who can see the future, right? I don't read minds or anything," he said.

"I know, I know. So, okay, this is what happened. I met her at the bar, right? She downed that Macallan like crazy, which is what I called her for doing it. She said she needed to let loose because she had some important, no she said life altering, things going on in the next few days, and she needed to relax. She said her name was Lily, and then I was hooked. I mean, I never bet against Alice, you know? So, I pretended I was there alone, and we found a booth in the back. She was telling me all about how she grew up in Austin and how she and her friends used to go to that bar all the time, but they'd almost all gotten married and had kids and moved on. She was so cute telling me how she liked to go there because it was like a security blanket or something to her." We had gotten our drinks, and I took a long sip of my water before I continued. "So, I told her that just for tonight, she should forget about whatever life altering things she had to deal with. I told her to pretend she was in college again and pretend her friends had set us up on a blind date." Edward laughed and shook his head. "Hey, man, she's hot. And she wanted to relax. What better way to relax than a date with the Monkey Man?" I gestured wildly, waving my hands up and down my own body.

Edward almost spit his water across the table at me, he started laughing so hard. Monkey Man was a nickname I'd gotten in college. My girlfriend gave it to me after a particularly athletic night of sex and it just kind of stuck.

"So, you introduced yourself as Monkey Man? Or did you give her your real name?" He asked.

Uh-oh. He was not going to be happy if I told him I'd used his name instead of my own. "Well," I said, shoving a bite of food into my mouth. "Actually, I gave her a fake name. Well, not _fake _so much as just not _mine._"

"That would be the definition of a fake name, genius," Edward said.

"I know that, dumb ass. Do you want to hear the rest of this story or not?" He nodded and promised to keep quiet. "Okay, so we left the bar and went walking down by the water. It was so nice out and we just kept walking and walking. We stopped in another bar and got a giant margarita to share. Next thing I know, we're sitting on a park bench making out, and she asks me do I want to go to her place. She said it wasn't far, we could walk. She lives in one of those renovated buildings right down there," I said, pointing in the direction of the area of town by the river where she lived. "It's one of those huge lofts that's one giant room except for the bedroom. The kind that the elevator opens up into the middle of the apartment, you know. Really cool place, I told her. She kicked off her shoes and pulled me inside and the rest, well, I don't think you really want to hear the rest, huh?"

Edward put his fork down and tossed his napkin on the table. "Definitely not," he said. "So, Alice is all in a tizzy over this, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she was rambling on this morning about how Lily must be connected to 'our Ms Hale' because of the drawing and all. I don't know. I think maybe it's just the flower names, but she's convinced there is more to it. She was going on about what if they were sisters and how awful that would be. Hell, I say, if they are sisters that's good, right?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders and asked, "Do I want to know what you mean buy that?"

"Well, the way I see it, if they are sisters, then I've already got one on my side. I did give the woman three orgasms last night, after all." Edward nearly choked again. I just laughed, "Surely she'd put in a good word with her sister for me after a night like that, fake name and all. Am I right, or am I right?"

Edward laughed, "I can not argue with logic like that, big brother."

I signed the ticket that the waiter had left, and we stood up to leave. We had just gotten in the elevator when the little phone in my side jacket pocket started to beep. I took it out, the extra cell phone, and saw that I had a text message.

_Wanted you 2 have my number. Call me 2nite if u want 2 do something. k? ~Lily_

I showed the text to Edward and said, "See, baby brother, like I said..."

*********************************************************************************

**End Notes: So.....what's gonna happen with "Eddie" and "Lily" tonight?? What's Alice going to buy for Bella?? Review and you'll find out sooner rather than later.... :)**


	6. HookUps

**A/N: So....this is where the story earns it's M rating...I have to say that writing smut FREAKS me out! This chapter took me, like, three days to write! My girl G says it's good so I'm gonna have to take her word for it and just hope you guys agree... :)**

**Thanks as always to my beta, you're the bestest! :)**

**As always, SM owns...**

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Chapter Six:

Hook-ups...

**Rosalie**

I waited as patiently as I could to see if Eddie would respond to my text. I sat my phone on the counter, and walked away. I was rinsing dishes and putting them into the dishwasher, and listening for that little beep. When it finally came, I almost forgot to dry my hands off I reached for the phone so fast.

_meet u our place? 8ish? -E_

I actually had butterflies in my stomach as I read it. I typed back:

_sounds great. c u there. ~L_

Okay. So, he wanted to see me again. That was good. I mean, I knew it was just going to be a weekend thing, but so what? I needed to relax if I was going to get through the meeting tomorrow evening.

These people from Seattle wanted to buy my father's furniture business from me. It wasn't even for sale. Apparently, this guy was some kind of mogul in the business world. I didn't know from the business world, though. I just knew that my father, whom I hadn't even seen in six months before he died, left me the one thing he loved in this world. And now, less than three months after he died, some guy from Seattle wanted to buy the company. I didn't know anything about running the company, but I had lost my dad way before he died and having Hale's Angel was as close to redemption as I was ever going to get. I had to hang onto it and make him proud. I just had to figure out how to tell this Mr. Gotta-Have-It no.

So, eight o'clock was the hour. I could worry about the meeting tomorrow until eight o'clock. Then I'd forget about it, at least for tonight.

At seven-fifteen, I checked myself in the full length mirror. Nice, ass-hugging, denim mini skirt? Check. Layered orange and white tank tops with tiny rhinestones on the collar? Check. Sparkly chocolate colored flip flops? Check. Hair? Perfect, as always. I had to say, I _was_ blessed by the hair goddesses. I looked inside my new tangerine stripe Kavu Keeper bag next. Wallet? Check. Mirror and cherry flavored lip gloss? Check. Extra condom? Check. I was definitely prepared.

At seven forty-five, I slung my purse across my body, got into the elevator and headed out of my building. It was a nice walk to Riley's on 6th Street. The sun was heading down in the sky and there was a nice breeze blowing. I stepped up to the door at exactly eight o'clock.

_Okay, Rosalie. _I said to myself. _It's Lily's night tonight. You can worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. Now, go in there and find that Monkey Man._

I walked in and saw that Eddie was sitting in the same booth as the night before, two Macallans on the tabletop. He grinned and waved when he saw me. Shit, that smile. Those dimples he got when he smiled were unbelievably sexy. I mean, everything about this man was sexy, but there was something infectious about that smile. It brought me to life, made me want to giggle like a little girl and fuck him all at the same time. I instantly forgot that I had anything else going on at all in my life. I walked as slowly as I could, I wanted to run but didn't want to freak him out, over to what was now our booth in our place.

"Hey there, sugar." I said as I slid into the booth, facing him.

"Hey there," he said. He smiled again, and I thought I might pass out.

"Thanks for coming," he said, reaching over the table and taking my hand, giving it a little squeeze.

"Thanks for asking," I said, almost out of breath.

"Well, how about we make a toast to get things started?" He passed me one of the Macallans with his free hand before taking the other glass for himself.

"Sure thing," I said. "What are we toasting?"

"I say we toast to new friends," he said, inclining his head toward me. He didn't let go of my hand, but held it tight in his.

"I'll drink to that," I said as I clinked our glasses together just a little. I put the glass to my lips.

"Now, don't go downing that son of a bitch again, okay?" He said, looking at me over the rim of his own glass.

I almost dropped mine for laughing. "No worries, cowboy, I'm gonna take it easy tonight." I winked at him while I took a tiny sip of my drink. _I might take it easy on the scotch, but not on you, honey._

We fell into an easy conversation after our toast. He told me a little about himself, but nothing too revealing. I asked him where he was from, and he said home was a little town in the middle of nothing in the Northwest somewhere. I asked about his family, and he said he had one brother and one sister, both married. I asked why he was in Austin, and he said business. Then he said it was my turn. I told him I'd been born and raised in Austin, an only child. I told him I went to college at Texas A&M just to piss my dad off and that it worked like a charm. I told him I'd lived in Atlanta for a while after college, but that I'd moved home about two years ago and wanted to start my own interior design firm here. I told him I had some "family issues" that needed ironing out first.

"You know," he said handing me the glass of wine he had just gotten me from the bar, "that accent of yours is very sexy."

I laughed. Of course, I knew I had a pretty thick Texas drawl, but it didn't get pointed out now that I was back home. I thought it was cute how he noticed. He slid into the booth beside me instead of across from me and took back my wine glass and sat it on the table. He leaned over close to me and ran the tip of his nose down the side of my jaw down the length of my neck.

"Mmmm," he said in a whisper, "you smell amazing." My eyes closed, and I took a deep breath as he ran his nose back up my neck and along my jawline again. "I'll bet you taste even better," he said. He licked me ever so slightly on the soft skin beneath my ear. I let my head fall back a little and rest against the back of the booth. We were in the back corner of the bar. No one could see us. I swear, he was making me want to have sex right there in that booth. He kept inhaling and licking at my neck and ear until I thought I was going to go crazy. His hands started a little journey of their own, up and down the top of my thigh. His hands reached deeper and deeper up the hemline of my little skirt with every circle he made. When he leaned in even closer and took my ear lobe into his mouth nipping it, the warmth of his breath on me made me jump a little.

"Sorry, babe," he said. "Did that hurt?"

"Oh, no," I said, totally breathless. "But you have to stop." I smiled at him, hoping he knew I meant he had to stop _for now._ He knew. There was that damn smile again. I wondered did he know he had a panty dropping smile? Because that's what I was about to do, drop my panties, right here in the back booth at B.D. Riley's.

"Fuck, babe," I breathed into his ear, "that smile of yours is gonna be the death of me this weekend."

He laughed and wiggled his eyebrows at me before crushing his lips to mine. I pulled away and put my hand up on his chest trying to put some distance between us.

"You wanna get outta here?" I asked.

"Hell yeah," he said, sliding out of the booth, dragging me with him. We stopped at the bar to pay the tab before heading out into the street.

"Did you drive?" I asked.

"No, took a cab," he said. "I'm staying at the Four Seasons. You want to go back to my place tonight? I've got a hot tub on my balcony." He said, snaking his arms around my waist and pulling my back into his chest. He brushed the hair off my neck and kissed me there. "Plus," he whispered, "room service has a kick ass breakfast menu." I could feel him smiling against my skin.

I pulled away from his grasp and stepped out into the street, "TAXI!"

**Alice**

When Bella and I returned from our little mission, Bella had a nice canopy bed with decorative/functional threading posts, along with a nice array of silk scarves, on its way to Forks. That's when Edward told us about Emmett getting a text from Lily. He said they were hooking up later at the bar we'd been to the night before.

"Perfect!" I cried sarcastically. "He's going to screw this up! I know it! I just know it!"

Bella grabbed my hands, that were now flailing around my head in a fury. "Alice," she said, taking my wrists and holding them together, "it's going to be fine. You've seen the ending, right?" I nodded. "And have you had anymore visions? Has anything changed?" I shook my head 'no'. "Well then," she said, releasing my hands from her grasp, "you don't have anything to worry about, do you?"

"I guess not," I sighed. "But he's going to make this difficult, and I _hate_ difficult." I stamped my foot just a little.

Edward covered his mouth to keep from laughing, well, to keep from laughing so loud. "Did you really just stamp your foot, Alice?"

I slapped him on the shoulder. "Shut up, Edward!"

"Come on, hon," Bella stepped up for me, "give her a break. You know how seriously Alice takes her visions." She batted her eyes at her husband, my brother, the big softy.

Edward put his arm around my shoulder and gave me squeeze. "I'm sorry," he said.

"I know," I said, hugging him back. "It's just that we have our meeting tomorrow, and he has to _charm_ this woman into selling us this company because she has to like him and that's hard enough when he's working," I had to stop and take a breath. I looked up at my brother, "We need this meeting to go right, Edward. _Everything _depends on it."

Later that night, I had a feeling I should vacate mine and Emmett's suite. I called Bella to let her know I needed to crash in their room, and she that was fine, of course. Once I was in their room, I sent Emmett a text to let him know that the coast was clear.

_Yeah, I know. Already moved my things to Edward's room. Have a nice time. :-)_

He must have had his phone in his hand, because he texted right back.

_Thanks, kid. See you tomorrow._

I tossed my phone on the coffee table and set off to get ready for bed.

**Emmett**

When we got into the cab, I opened my phone to send Alice a text. I didn't think she'd mind bunking down the hall. Hell, she and Bella could do girly shit and...before I could start typing, the phone vibrated and the screen lit up. It was a text from Alice.

_Yeah, I know. Already moved my things to Edward's room. Have a nice time. :-)_

I smiled and texted back- _Thanks, kid. See you tomorrow._

I shut the phone off and put it back in my pocket as I wrapped my arm around Lily and waited impatiently for the taxi to get us back to the hotel.

When we reached the hotel, I took Lily's hand and led her into the elevator. Luckily, no one else got in with us. As soon as the doors closed, I grabbed her by the waist and kissed her hard. She had tasted like cherries when I kissed her in the bar, and I wanted more. She moaned and relaxed into my grasp, reaching up to steady herself with one hand on my shoulder and the other on the wall. I licked her bottom lip and tugged on it just a little with my teeth before taking her into my mouth again, harder. She let go of the wall and grabbed the back of my neck with both hands. I let my hands travel down her back and rest on her ass. Her ass. My god, that woman had one hell of an ass. I pushed her back into the elevator wall and rubbed up and down her thigh, inching her skirt up. I let up to catch my breath just as the elevator bell dinged signaling the end our ride. I backed up one step and took her by the hand as she tried to smooth her skirt back down.

Neither one of us said a word as we walked the short distance down the hallway to my suite. I hoped against hope that none of my family would choose this moment to go for ice or some crazy shit like that. It was early still so I knew they weren't asleep yet. I fumbled with the key card, it was difficult to concentrate with Lily's hands running up and down my ass from where she stood behind me; but it finally slid through the slot, and the door unlocked. She was kissing me again before the door was closed, this time grabbing at the bottom of my shirt. We walked across the room, lips locked, hands wild. I dropped my keys and my phone onto the bar and kicked my shoes off. She'd had her flip flops in her hand and she tossed them, along with her bag, onto the sofa. I let go of her long enough to yank my shirt up over my head and scoop her up into my arms, kissing her again. I all but ran into the bedroom, kicking the door to open it and then closing it again with my foot. I stood her up and had to catch her by the waist when her balance seemed to fail. I stopped kissing her again and took her hands in my face, pressing my forehead down to hers. She smiled at me, her blue eyes colored deep with desire. Fuck, she had gorgeous eyes. I knew in that moment that I was screwed, figuratively that is. I hoped she didn't find out how her eyes hypnotized me or else I was going to be toast. This girl was going to be hard to shake once I left Austin on Sunday.

She reached up and ran her fingernails lightly up my forearms and then around to my shoulder blades and then down my back. I shuddered a little and moaned, pushing my forehead against her more. She grabbed me and pulled me closer until our hips were touching. Feeling her that close made my already hard dick even harder. I had to get these pants off and soon. Feeling what she was doing to me, she smiled again and closed her eyes, letting her fingernails trail softly back up to my neck and down my arms once more. Reaching up on her toes, she kissed me softly before running her tongue over my lips and giggling.

"So, would you like to see the hot tub now," I asked, lightly kissing the tip of her nose, "or later?" I was rubbing her cheekbones with my thumbs and watching as her breasts rose and fell with her uneven breaths. _Please say later, please say later._

"I think I'd like to see the bed first. I mean, if that's okay?" She looked up at me through her eyelashes and smiled a crooked, naughty smile.

I pushed her back until she fell onto the bed. I stood over her, pulling off my pants and my boxers in one motion. She smiled at me, and I reached for her hand, bringing her to the edge of the bed. She took the hem of her tank top in her hands and pulled it over her head. Her long blonde hair fell down her back and around her shoulders. She wasn't wearing a bra. Man, I wish I'd known that earlier. She laid back down, and I leaned over and ran my fingers under the top of her skirt. She lifted her hips up to allow me room to slide it down her legs. I half expected no panties after the no bra discovery, but alas, there they were. Orange, like her tank top, satiny and boy-cut. She put her feet on the edge of the bed and scooted towards the middle, sliding the little panties off at the same time.

I crawled across the bed to hover over her, resting on my elbows and spreading her legs apart with my knees. She wrapped her left leg around my right, giving her enough lift to graze my ever-hardening dick with the soft, warm patch of hair between her legs. I let out a moan and crushed my lips to hers, taking one of her breasts in my hand and squeezing it hard, rolling the nipple between my fingers. She cried out and dug her fingernails into the small of my back, raking them up the length of my spine. I dipped my hips just enough for her to feel my head teasing her.

Holy fuck, she was so hot and wet, and it took all the restraint I had not to plunge into her right then. I could feel her moving her hands between our chests, much like she had in the booth at the bar. She pushed on me a little, and when I didn't budge she pushed harder, pulling her mouth away from me.

"Roll over," she said breathlessly.

I raised one eyebrow at her, but did as she asked, flipping quickly over to lie on my back, arms outstretched above my head. She rose up onto her knees and turned to face me. She straddled me and ran one fingernail up the length of my dick and back down again before grabbing it in her whole hand and giving it a little squeeze. My breath hitched and I bucked against her hand.

"You like that?" She asked.

"Fuck yeah," I said.

"Can I have a little taste, Cowboy?"

I couldn't even speak, so I just nodded. If you'd ever asked me, I would have said being called a cowboy wouldn't be much a turn on, but she said it in that sweet drawl of hers and it almost made me come every time.

She leaned down and stuck her tongue out, slowly inching toward me. When she reached the base of my dick, she barely let her tongue touch me, moving up in a featherlight trail to the head. She swirled her tongue around the tip before opening her lips and taking my entire length into her mouth. I hissed out what sounded like an "Oh, fuck, baby" and grabbed the sheets on either side of my body. She kept sucking up and then diving back down again, slowly, painfully slowly. My hips rose and fell with the rhythm she set. Her hands were roaming my body all the while- stroking my thigh, sliding one underneath me to grab at my ass, reaching up to pinch a nipple with the other. I raised my head up and tried to take one of her fingers into my mouth, but she wouldn't let me. I could feel myself getting closer with every pass she made, but I didn't want to come like this. I wanted to be inside of her.

My hands went into her long hair and grabbed, pulling back sharply, removing her mouth from my dick. She grinned that naughty grin at me again and looked at me with lustful eyes.

"Come here, darlin'" I said, in my best Texas accent. I sat up enough to get a hold of her hips and slid her up my body to straddle me again. I sat her down so that her ass was on the top of my thighs and I could feel the heat from her hot, wet core against my balls. I reached over and took the condom off the bedside table and ripped it open with my teeth.

She took the package out of my hand, removing the condom, saying as she rolled it onto me, "Every cowgirl needs a good saddle, you know." She winked at me before lifting up on her knees and swiveling her hips so she was poised right at the tip of my dick.

Her hands on either side of my head, her head dipped so that her hair was cascading all around us both, she leaned her hips up just a little before sliding down onto me.

"Oh....my...god..." she moaned as she began to rise up and fall back down.

I couldn't keep my hands out of her hair, grabbing it, twisting it around my hands and pulling it so her head jerked back, exposing her long neck to me. I kissed her, bit her, licked her- all the while thrusting up as hard as I could into her.

"Fuck, doll...." I breathed into her ear, "you're so damn hot....come for me, babe, come for me..."

She quickened her pace, slamming her hips into mine harder and harder with each thrust until we were both screaming.

"Oh, god! " she screamed, digging her nails into my chest. "Holy shit, come...with me......please......" she pleaded. She put her lips to my ear and whispered, "Please, cowboy..."

Jesus, I couldn't stand it- she called me cowboy _and _she begged. I grabbed her ass and shoved my hips up as far as they would go, spilling all I had into the condom as she writhed and arched her back, her whole body trembling, her core tightening around me, as she screamed out in pleasure once more.

Her head fell onto my shoulder, her breathing as ragged as mine. We sat still for a moment, both catching our breath and slowing our heartbeats. I pushed her hair away from her now sweaty face and kissed her on the temple. She kissed my shoulder before slowly rolling onto her side next to me.

Ten minutes later, we were still laying in the middle of the bed. I had moved only far enough to toss the condom in the trash basket beside the bed before collapsing beside her again. Lily propped herself up on her elbow and smiled at me. I leaned over to kiss her sweet lips one more time. I licked my own as I leaned away from her.

"Mmmm, I like cherries," I said, letting my eyes fall closed for a moment.

"Good to know," she said.

"So," I said, propping myself up on my own elbow. "You want to see the hot tub now?"

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**End Notes: okay...so there it is...whatcha think?!?! **

**Just so y'all know~ I'm a couple of chapters ahead, and I hope to stay that way so it's never too long between updates...**

**We'll be getting to the revelation sooner than you think so hang on and keep reading! It's gonna be gooooodd!! haha**

**Reviews are better than cherry lip gloss! :)**


	7. and ShakeUps

**A/N: i hope this chapter works for you...i rewrote it like three times trying to get it right and it is crazy long!...thank you, G, for reading it all three times... :)**

**unless i've somehow morphed into stephenie meyer, i own nothing other than my house and this macbook... :)**

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Chapter Seven:

...and Shake-ups

**Rosalie**

"Rose," I felt Peter reaching over the armrest and shake my elbow, "Rose, honey, are you okay?"

I shook my head to clear the fog and answered my sweet uncle, "Yes, Uncle Peter, I'm okay." I looked out the window and twisted my hair, "I think I'm just a little nervous, you know?" Peter was my father's brother. He and I had stayed close even after things between me and my father had gotten strained. Peter and my Aunt Charlotte were the top executives at Hale's Angels and were helping me navigate through this unexpected buy-out proposal from Mr. Gotta-Have-It and his huge corporation.

"I know," he said, "but these folks have a great company. It might not be a bad idea to sell Angels to them. I mean, I know you've got sentimental reasons to keep it, but you don't really _want _to run a business, do you?" All I could do was shrug my shoulders. "Well, it can't hurt to hear them out, you know?"

"Plus," Charlotte chimed in from the back seat, "I hear that this Mr. Gotta-Have-It as you call him is rather good looking!" I turned around and rolled my eyes at my well meaning aunt.

"Aunt Charlotte, please! That is the _last _thing I need to be thinking about. What I need is for you to make me not look like an idiot, okay?" I laughed, batting my eyelashes and jutting my bottom lip out in a little pout, begging her to behave.

"Oh, Rosalie, dear," Charlotte said, patting my shoulder, "You know me better than that. So, don't be nervous. Let me and Peter The Great handle your Mr. Gotta-Have-It. We won't let you down."

Peter laughed, "Ladies, don't you think we should stop calling Mr. McCarty Mr. Gotta-Have-It? Not only does it sound disgusting, but we don't want to slip and call him that at dinner, do we?"

"Yeah, you're probably right. And thanks, Charlotte. Like I said, I'm just nervous," I said. The truth was, my nerves were only part of my distraction. If I were being honest, my mind was still lingering on the morning and waking up in a kind-sized bed at the Four Seasons after one of the best nights of my life.

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The sun was coming in a single stream through the part in the curtains. I opened one eye and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Six-fifteen. Stretching my arms above my head, I rolled over to see if my bed fellow was still sleeping. There he was, face half buried in his pillow, silly almost-grin on his oh-so-kissable lips. I smiled as the events of the previous night came back to me.

After we'd christened the bed, we moved into the hot tub. He'd bent me over the side and taken me there- twice. Then we gave the big chair in the living area a try. We finally collapsed back into the bed around one o'clock and immediately fell asleep.

The sound of his soft laugh brought me out of my reverie. I shook my head a little and smiled over at him.

"Morning, cowboy," I said, propping myself up on my elbow.

"Good morning to you, doll face," he said, rolling over and sitting up on his own elbow. He reached out and poked the tip of my nose with his finger. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmm hmm..." I said, giving my legs a little stretch. My feet were tangled in the sheets and they pulled the covers down, leaving my naked chest exposed.

"Now, this is what I call a good morning," he said, reaching out and putting his hand on my waist, pulling me closer to him. Without thinking, I wrapped my leg around his, resting my foot in the crook of his knee, bringing my hips into contact with his. The sheet was between us, but I could still feel him, and I hoped he could feel me. There was something about this man that was just intoxicating. I knew in my head that he didn't live here, he was going home on Sunday, and it could never be anything more than a weekend fling. But part of me just wanted to grab hold of him and never let him go.

"Mmmm..." he said, letting his forehead fall onto mine. "Warm," he kissed my nose, and I wiggled just a little closer as he wrapped his arm tightly around my waist. I buried my face in the hollow of his neck and kissed him there, slowly letting my tongue caress the sensitive skin. He let out a little moan and, taking my face in his hands, pulled me back just enough so he could reach my lips with his. He kissed me, running a hand between us and tugging on the sheet that was between our bodies, jerking it free and rolling us over all in one swift motion.

An hour later, I finally pulled myself out of bed. "Hey, you mind if I take a shower?" I asked, tilting my head to the side and giving him my best smile. I didn't have any clean clothes, but that would be okay if I could wash my hair and my face. "I thought maybe I could use the one in the extra room."

"Don't mind at all," he said, sitting up himself. "I'm gonna call for some breakfast. You can just use the shower in here." He picked up the phone and hit the button for room service. "You want eggs? Pancakes? Coffee?" He asked me.

"Coffee for sure!" I said, heading toward the bathroom, "Don't care about the other stuff. Whatever you want is fine."

He grinned that damn sexy grin again, bringing out those dimples on his cheeks and raised one eyebrow at me. "What I want is definitely _fine_..." he said, raking his eyes over my still naked body. "...but I'll order you an omelet, huh?"

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The valet at Sullivan's opening the car door for me brought me crashing back to reality. We were her to meet with these Seattle people. Uncle Peter said I had to listen to this "business mogul" and his pitch. Aunt Charlotte said I had to "check the attitude and be polite." I laughed at that. Did she seriously think I was capable of "checking the attitude"? My brazenness was kind of a trademark of mine. Being nice and fluffy was never my style. I knew I had to channel a nice, sweet, polite Texas girl tonight, though. So, I promised I would try.

The hostess was waiting at her stand. "Good evening," she greeted us.

"Hey," I said, glancing around. Anyone else would have been checking for a glimpse of the people we were meeting, but I was really just looking for the bar. "We are supposed to be meeting some people. The name is McCarty."

The tall, leggy redhead scanned her list of names. "McCarty? Yes. Here it is. Table for four. I believe that Mr. McCarty's party just arrived." She motioned for us to follow her, "Right this way."

"Um, actually," I said, "Peter, Charlotte, you two go ahead. I'll just be a minute behind you, okay?"

"Is everything alright?" The hostess asked, stopping at the entrance to the dining room.

"Yes," I stammered, "I...um...I just need a moment....I think I need to visit the ladies' room..." _And perhaps the bar. _"Really, Charlotte, please, go ahead. I won't be long." My aunt gave me a look that was usually reserved for my mother that said _Honey, get over yourself. Go get a drink and hurry your ass up. _

"Let's go, Peter," Charlotte said. They followed the hostess toward the dining room and I headed in search of the bar.

Tossing my handbag onto the bar, I took a seat and rested my head in my hands. Several deep breaths later, I felt someone sitting beside me. I looked up to see the tiniest grown woman I think I'd ever seen. She was less than five feet tall, with pixie-like features and hair. Seriously, she looked like Tinkerbell, well, if Tinkerbell were a brunette. She was practically bouncing in the chair next to me. The bartender took notice and came over to us.

"What can I get for you, ladies?"

The pixie waved in my general direction. "She was here first," she said.

"Thanks," I said, but she didn't so much as glance my way. She was too distracted, and she seemed to be having a conversation with herself. I turned to the bartender. "Scotch, please. Macallan if you have it." I reached down to get some money out of my bag when I felt tiny fingers wrap around my wrist. I looked up and the pixie was staring at me, eyes wide, mouth open.

"Are you alright?" I asked, not entirely sure that I wanted the answer.

"Did you just order a Macallan?"

"Um, yeah," I said. "Why?"

She shook her head and her spiky hair looked like fireworks coming off her head as she started bouncing again. "OhmygodIcan'tbelievethisit'sjusttoowierd!"

She was squealing so fast I didn't really understand what she was saying or why it mattered so much that I drank Scotch. "I know Scotch isn't really a girly drink or anything," I said, "but it's what my dad drank and..." She cut me off with a wave.

"No, it's not that, it's just that's what my boss drinks. In fact, it's _all_ he'll drink. I'm Alice, by the way." She took her hand from my wrist and grabbed my hand, shaking it. She spoke with a kind of confidence, like she'd just figured out some big mystery or something. It was slightly disconcerting.

"Oh," I said, trying to remember what Charlotte had said about being polite and checking the attitude. "Hi," was all I could manage. I really wanted to say _I don't really have time to chat about what kind of scotch your fucking boss likes. I have to get a little steel in me so I can go deal with my own god damned problems, 'kay?! _But I didn't. Instead I decided to try and change the subject. "So, what is it that you like to drink?" I pointed to the waiting bartender.

"Oh!" She said, glancing at the bartender who had returned with my Macallan. "I need one glass of white wine, two glasses of red wine." I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Well, it's not _all _ for me," she said, nodding toward a table in the corner of the bar. There sat a couple, obviously ridiculously in love. A beautiful, bronze-haired man and a plain but beautiful, dark headed woman. They were so caught up in one another, it looked like the building could collapse and they wouldn't even notice. He looked enough like the pixie to be her brother.

Looking back, I asked her, "Is that your brother? You two look alike."

"Yes," she said. "Well, one of them. I have two. That brother," she pointed the man in the corner, "and his wife are just waiting for me and my boss to finish with our other guests." That all seemed a little odd to me, so I just nodded.

"Yeah," I said, raising my glass to my lips, suddenly reminded of my cowboy, taking care not to drink it down too fast. I also was starting to feel really sick to my stomach. I knew it was just nerves, and tried to ignore the queasiness I was feeling. "I have family and guests waiting for me as well." I took another sip, a little one. "I just needed a little, um, encouragement, shall we say, for the meeting I'm now late for." I glanced at my watch. I'd been gone for almost ten minutes. Charlotte would come looking for me soon.

"How about that," she said, "I'm late for a meeting, as well. But I just had to stop in here first." She spoke with that confidence again, like she knew what you were going to say before you said it or something. She shrugged her shoulders and was about to speak again when her brother's wife walked up.

"Hey, Alice," she said, smiling in my direction. "Do you need a hand?" She motioned to the three wine glasses on the bar.

I took another sip of my scotch only to have Pixie say to her sister-in-law, "Look, Bella, she's drinking Macallan."

What was with this girl and her obsession with my scotch? And why did her sister-in-law know or care what kind of scotch _anybody_ drank? I had to get out of here. I needed to relax and she was just making me more nervous. Plus, that feeling in my stomach was getting worse. Perhaps I should have eaten lunch.

"Hmm..." Bella said, reaching for one of the glasses of red wine and seeming more interested than seemed normal. Her bronze-haired husband walked up then, snaking his arm around her waist and taking his own glass of wine from the bar.

"Seems you ladies have started your own little party here," he said. He nodded towards me and stuck out his hand "Hi, there. I'm Edward."

_Hmm...that's weird. Never met anyone named Edward before. And in the last three days I've met two. _

I shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Edward." I was about to offer my name when my phone began to vibrate in my hand. I squeezed my eyes shut for just a moment before looking down at the screen with just one eye. Yep, it was Charlotte. I stood up and said, "I am so sorry, but I really have to take this." My three new acquaintances smiled and nodded politely as I walked away from them. "Hey, Charlotte," I said quietly into the phone.

Taking one more look at the bar, Alice and Bella had their heads close together chatting away. Alice was giggling and she looked like she was about to pop with excitement. She could bottle that energy and sell it for millions.

"Rose, honey, I said are you alright?" Charlotte asked. I had obviously not answered her the first time.

"Yes, I'm in the bar. I needed a little drink. I'll be there in five minutes, I just..." My head started spinning a little bit. I needed air.

"It's okay, dear," she said. "Mr. McCarty is waiting on his assistant, too. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Thanks, Charlotte. I'll be right there." I closed the phone and turned back to find the Pixie and her little family standing where I'd left them. Alice was drinking her wine and smiling at me. _Mr. McCarty is waiting on his assistant, too, huh? _

"Well, looks like I've hidden out as long as I can." I said, taking the last sip of scotch in my glass and picking up my bag off the bar.

"I think I should be heading in there also," Alice said. "Shall we?" She gestured for me to walk with her into the dining room.

"Sure," I said. "Oh, and by the way, I'm Rosalie."

Alice smiled and looked back at Bella. "Rosalie!" she said, "Her name is Rosalie!" I turned to see Bella raise her wine glass at us and smile, Edward behind her, looking down and shaking his head. I felt like there was some inside joke I must be missing. More than that, though, I felt like I was going to throw up.

I pulled away from Alice and apologized as quickly as I could. "I'm sorry," I said, heading for the bathroom, "I'm really not feeling well. I think I need to find the ladies' room." I didn't wait for a response.

My hands had barely let go of the door lock when I threw up. There was nothing in my stomach except scotch, which was most likely the main cause for my predicament. I'd been too nervous to eat anything else since breakfast. I knew it was stupid, but my nerves had gotten the better of me. When my empty stomach was even emptier, I came out of the stall to find Charlotte standing by the sink, arms folded across her chest.

"Rosalie, dear, what is the matter with you?" She asked, taking a paper towel from the machine and wetting it under the faucet. "Haven't I taught you better than to drink, scotch of all things, on an empty stomach?" She handed me the wet towel and reached for a dry one.

"I know, Charlotte," I said, wiping my forehead that was now covered in a light sheen of cold sweat. "I know, I just got really nervous, and I thought a drink would help, but obviously I was wrong." I dried my face off and tossed the towels in the trash. I looked at my pale form in the mirror. There was no way I was going to that meeting now, I looked like a zombie. "Aunt Charlotte," I said, "I really can not go out there now. I'll probably just get sick all over them anyway. Will you please go out there and deal with it? Just...I don't know, see if they'll reschedule...let me call his assistant in the morning or something...please" I knew I was groveling, but I didn't care. I was _not _going to face these people looking like death warmed over. I had to be in control and tough for this meeting, not weak-kneed and on the verge of retching all over the table.

Charlotte agreed to go back to the table and make my apologies. She said she would meet me at the car and drive me home, but I told her to stay with Peter and enjoy dinner. I would get a taxi home.

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**Emmett**

Alice made Edward and Bella tag along on our dinner meeting, saying they needed to be there. And since we were all too chicken shit to argue with Alice, Edward and Bella accompanied us to Sullivan's and waited in the bar. Of course, we were early. Alice has never _not _been early for anything in her life. She was born early, started preschool early, graduated from high school and college early...maybe it goes along with the whole seeing the future thing. Anyway, we were twenty minutes early so Alice went to the bar to get a drink with Bella.

She wasn't back when our guests arrived. The hostess walked up to the table with two people, a man and woman both in their early sixties. I looked behind them for a glimpse of our Ms Hale, but didn't see anyone else. I stood from my seat as they approached.

"Mr. McCarty," the hostess said, "your guests have arrived."

I reached out to take the woman's hand and said, "Good evening, I'm Emmett McCarty."

"Mr. McCarty," she said with a smile and a hint of an accent, "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Charlotte Hale."

"The pleasure is mine," I said returning her hand to her and moving to take the outstretched hand of her escort. "And a good evening to you, sir." I said, shaking, "Emmett McCarty."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. McCarty, I'm Peter Hale."

I pulled out the chair beside mine for Charlotte and when she sat, the hostess retreated, and Peter and I sat as well.

"And will Ms Hale be joining us this evening?" I asked, looking once more toward the door.

"Yes," Charlotte said. "Rosalie just stopped in the ladies room. She'll only be a moment."

We exchanged more pleasantries, talked about the weather and the restaurant. Charlotte told me that she and Peter were not only Ms Hale's top executives, but also her aunt and uncle.

_Family business. Great. We're trying to take over someone's family business. Of course, that's never really bothered me before...._

I glanced around the dining room again, looking for Alice to appear. "I'm sorry," I said, "I seem to have misplaced my assistant as well." I laughed my charming laugh for Charlotte. Somehow, playing hard ass with someone's sixty-year-old aunt just seemed wrong.

Realizing how long we had been sitting there without the remainder of our party, Charlotte excused herself to go check on Ms Hale.

Less than three minutes after she returned to the table, I heard Alice coming up behind me.

"Hello, Mr. McCarty," she chimed. Peter and I started to stand, but she waved us off. "Oh, sit, sit. It's just little ol' me!" She sat and introduced herself, "I'm Alice Whitlock, Mr. McCarty's assistant." She turned to Charlotte, "You might want to go to the ladies' room," she said in a slight whisper, "I met Ms Hale in the bar, but she ran off just as we were headed in here. I think she may be sick."

"Oh my!" Charlotte was out of her seat before Alice could finish, almost too quick for Peter and I to get to our own feet. "I'll be right back." She left in the direction of the ladies' room.

"I hope she's alright," I said, sitting back down.

"Me, too," Alice said. She extended her tiny hand across the table to Peter.

"It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Whitlock," he said, "I'm Peter Hale."

"Well, Mr. Hale, I do hope that Ms Hale is feeling okay. We do have a lot to discuss, don't we?"

"Yes, I suppose we do," Peter said. "I must admit, we are all very interested in what you have to say."

"Well, you see..." Alice started in on the listing of all the reasons McCarty Furniture would be the perfect company to sell to.

I tuned her out, thinking instead of Lily. I wondered how her own meeting was going tonight. I hoped that once we got out of here I could meet her somewhere. I hoped that Ms Hale wasn't seriously ill, but I couldn't say that I would mind if this meeting were cut short. I hadn't been able to get Lily out of my head all day. I knew it was crazy to be thinking about her so much- I was only going to be in town a couple of days, but all I wanted was to be with her.

Charlotte returned to the table, without Ms Hale, and sat down. "I am so sorry," she said, "but I'm afraid Rosalie really is quite ill. Can we arrange to reschedule the meeting? I know you'd only planned to be here for the weekend, so perhaps something tomorrow?"

"Certainly," Alice said, "I'm so sorry she's feeling bad. I'll give you my cell number, and you let Ms Hale know that we'll stay in town an extra day or so if she needs us to. She can call me tomorrow if she's feeling up to it." Alice gave Charlotte her business card with all her information on it.

"I really am sorry, Mr. McCarty. Rosalie wanted me to tell you how sorry she is as well," Charlotte said.

"It's quite alright," I said, taking her hand. "Alice will handle the rescheduling of our meeting. Like she said, we don't mind staying in town an extra couple of days." Of course I didn't mind. If we had to wait on Ms Hale to get better, I'd have more time to spend with Lily.

We said our goodbyes and Alice and I headed for the bar to find Edward and Bella.

"Sooo..." Alice sang to me, "What's got you so eager to agree to stay in town for an extra couple of days?"

"Nothing," I shrugged my shoulders, "I've just decided that I really do want this company, that's all."

"Yeah, right," Alice said. "It has nothing to do with your Lily?" She gave me that look that usually only mothers have. The one that won't let you lie, no matter how hard you try.

"So what if it does?" I asked.

"So what if I think you should be _more _interested in our Ms Hale?" She shot back at me.

"So what if you're _not _mom and I'm _not _fourteen?" I shot back, sounding very much like a fourteen-year-old.

Before she could shoot back at me, the phone in the breast pocket of my jacket began to vibrate. I took it out to see a text from Lily. I smiled before I'd even read it.

_my work thing kinda fell apart...r u done w/ yours?_

Walking away from Alice, who was still rambling on about Ms Hale, I headed for the door, typing:

_mine, too. u wanna meet at our place?_

Alice had dragged Edward and Bella out of the bar and towards the door. She was following me, calling, "Earth to Emmett! Where are you going?"

I waved my hand at her, trying to shoo her away, reading Lily's reply.

_don't really wanna go out. my place? _

"Hey, guys, I'm gonna get a taxi, okay?" I said, looking at Edward for some support.

"Emmett!" Alice screeched. "Are you going to see Lily?! Come on, Emmett, think about this! You don't even know this woman and what about my vision?" Thank God for Bella. She pulled Alice into the waiting limo and waved at me.

"Have fun, Monkey Man," she laughed as she climbed in after Alice.

Edward walked over to where I stood typing a quick "I'm on my way" to Lily.

"So, this Lily, huh?"

"Yeah," I shrugged my shoulders a little. "I know, it's weird, but I can't stop thinking about her, bro. I mean, I shouldn't care. I only met her two days ago and we're leaving in a few days, but still, I just...I don't know, man, I can't explain it."

I didn't have to explain it to Edward, I knew that. He understood. He'd been in love with Bella since the first day he'd met her.

Edward patted me on the shoulder and said, "Just watch out, big brother. Don't let Alice catch on to you or you're gonna be in deep shit with her."

"Yeah, what's her deal with that anyway? Since when is she my personal cockblocker?" I asked, laughing. Alice had been making weird comments about her vision and the connection between Lily and Ms Hale for two days. I felt like I was missing something. "Is there something she's not telling me?"

Edward looked back toward the limo before he spoke. "Look, Emmett, all I'm going to say is this- just be careful. Be sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Well, little brother, that was helpful," I said, slapping him on the back. I turned to find a taxi letting some passengers out at the curb. "Gotta go!" I called as I ran for the cab. I jumped in, gave the driver Lily's address and waved to my brother. I couldn't help but laugh a little at the thought of Alice's interrogation of poor Edward when he got into that limo. Oh well, she was his problem tonight.

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**End Notes: So...you thought it was gonna come out at dinner, right?? Yeah, me too...that was the first draft...but I've taken a little detour... :)**

**Reviews are as good as having Emmett on his way to my house...well, okay not quite **_**that**_** good, but good just the same!! :)**


	8. Surprises

**A/N: So, several of you were...ummm..a little upset with the lack of, shall we say, resolution at the dinner meeting...I know, it wasn't very nice of me to do that! LOL I did work on that chapter a while and tried several outcomes. Trust me that I chose the one I thought worked best! :) If you write, and I'm assuming most of you do, you know that sometimes these things take on a life of their own and we are just along for the ride, right?! **

**If you're old enough to love, or hell even remember, Alanis Morissette, or better yet, own her Jagged Little Pill CD....that's what I listened to while writing this (as you'll see heehee)**

**Many thanks for all the support, reading, proofreading, and re-reading as well as the ideas and all around cheerleading I get from My Girl G! You're the awesomest! :)**

**SM owns...blah, blah, blah... lol**

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Chapter Eight:

Surprises

**Rosalie**

My apartment was kind of a mess, and I only had about ten minutes before Eddie showed up. I brushed my teeth to remove all traces of my unfortunate events at the restaurant. Then I changed into denim shorts and a Texas A&M t-shirt, opting to forgo shoes all together and put my hair in a pony tail. Just as I was putting on a dab of cherry lip gloss, I heard the buzzer sound and the elevator start heading down to the ground floor of the building. I hit the "grant access" button on the wall and the elevator starting its climb back to my loft. I busied myself in the kitchen, taking two wine glasses out of the cabinet and getting a bottle of wine out of the wine cooler, making sure to grab a sleeve of crackers out of the cabinet, too, and eating a couple quickly.

I heard the screech of the elevator grate opening and turned, brushing the cracker crumbs off my hands, to see Eddie standing there, hands in his pockets, looking sexier than ever. He had on a suit, but his tie was all loose and his shirt was untucked. He shrugged out of his jacket as he walked into the apartment and said, "Hey, there, doll face!"

"Hey there," I said. I motioned toward the coat rack by the elevator door, "You can hang up your jacket if you want." He draped his jacket over one of the hooks and made his way into the kitchen. The whole scene felt so familiar, like we had been in this place a hundred times- him coming into my apartment after work, just hanging out. I imagined what it would be like to do this for the hundredth time, to have him here for more than the weekend. Of course, I couldn't think like that. Thinking like that would only lead to more of a heartache when he did actually return to his real life.

Hoping he didn't notice the lull, I shook myself out of my crazy dream and asked, "So, did your work thing go well?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Sort of. We didn't get to meet with the main person we came to meet with, but that's okay. We laid out our ideas and my assistant is working on the details."

"Oh, that sounds kind of like my night," I said, pouring him a glass of wine. "I'm gonna have to reschedule my meeting, too." I hoped he didn't ask what happened. I couldn't imagine recounting the story of my weak stomach and was glad to have eaten at least a little something before I drank any of my wine. "Hey," I said, realizing what he'd said, "does that mean you'll be in town longer?" I didn't want to sound too hopeful, well, at least not quite as hopeful as I actually was.

He took the glass of wine and sipped from it before smiling at me and saying, "Why, yes, I believe it means just that." He walked over to the sofa and sat down. Just another something that seemed completely natural and...right. He patted the cushion beside him and said, "Why don't you come over here and tell me about your night?"

I walked over to him, wine in hand, and sat down next to him. He had his arm resting on the back of the couch and he reached out to touch my shoulder. It was hard to think straight with him so close to me. "I'd really rather _not_ talk about my night, if that's okay. It was kind of a disaster," I sighed.

"That's fine with me," he said, reaching over and shifting me so my back was to him. "I'd rather not talk about work either." He reached up and ran his hands lightly over my shoulders, brushing my hair to one side before beginning to massage my neck. "Jesus, doll face, you're wound tight as a drum."

"Mmm hmm," I said, lolling my head to the side a little, "yeah, tonight was not one of my finer moments....god, that feels good, babe," I sighed and relaxed into his hands a little more.

"You just relax and let me take care of it, okay?" He said, leaning into my neck as he spoke, leaving a trail of goosebumps in the wake of his warm breath on my skin.

All I could do was nod my head as his hands left my shoulders and slowly traced down my arms to my hands where he took my wine glass away from me. Placing the glass on the table next to his, he turned back and kissed up the outside of my arm, all the way up to my shoulder and around to the back of my neck. I fell back, relaxing all the way into his chest. His hands travelled around my waist, just under the hem of my t-shirt, gently brushing the now exposed skin with his thumbs. Running his nose along the line of my neck to my jaw line, he said, "You have to tell me what that perfume is that you wear."

I couldn't even answer him to tell him it wasn't really perfume, but my tahitian orchid scented body spray and lotion. I just nodded and fell deeper into his embrace. He lifted the edge of my shirt and placed his palms flat on my stomach. I didn't even notice at first that I wasn't breathing, not until he laughed lightly against my neck, "Um, hon, it helps if you breathe." I smiled, closing my eyes and turning my head, searching for his mouth. He leaned down and kissed me softly, smiling against my lips.

"Mmmm," he said when he pulled away all too soon, "cherries." I licked my top lip and nodded before kissing him again.

Grabbing me by the waist, he slid out from underneath me, pushing me into the couch and hovering over me. Too slowly, he leaned down closer to my face. When he finally kissed me it was harder than ever, crushing himself to me. Reaching around with both hands he wrapped me in his arms, pulling me up to his chest. Before I knew it, he has scooped me into his arms and we were off the couch, heading toward my bedroom.

He threw me onto the bed and smiled down at me, a smile so sexy it was almost evil. I reached up and grabbed him by the belt, pulling him on top of me. His lips crushed into mine again, then he was trailing kisses along my jaw, along the hollow of my neck, my collarbone, my shoulders, leaving each spot of skin thirsting for more....I rocked my hips into his, feeling his hard length against my body. He let out a low hiss at the contact and pulled away far enough to look me in the eyes.

"I like your suit," I said, my voice sounding deep and lusty even to me.

"Yeah?" He asked, kissing me again."I like your t-shirt, too."

"Thanks," I said, kissing him back, grabbing his face in my hands. "I think I'd like them both a lot better on the floor."

He sat up on his knees, one leg on either side of my own, and loosened his tie enough to get it over his head before beginning to unbutton his shirt. I wriggled out from underneath him and onto my knees, grasping at his shirt and yanking it open, sending at least a few buttons clattering to the floor.

"That was Armani," he said, feigning despair over the loss.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "It _was..._" I looked over his shoulder at the now rumpled fabric on the carpet, "now...not so much." I ran my hands over the planes of his chest, lightly raking my fingernails over his flesh. He took hold of my hands and held them to my side. He stepped off the bed and began to unhook his belt.

I laid back on the bed, reaching to the bedside table for the remote control to the stereo. I had an old Alanis Morissette CD in the stereo and since I find angry chick rock sexy, it seemed like the perfect soundtrack for the night. As the first chords of "All I Really Want" started to fill the air around us, I couldn't help but bite down on my bottom lip watching as Eddie slowly take the rest of his clothes off, then slowly stalk towards me.

"It seems a bit unfair," he said reaching out and grabbing me by the waist of my shorts, "that you still have so many clothes on." I giggled as he pulled me up to my knees so I was eye level with him, taking the hem of my shirt in his hands and pulling it over my head. My shorts followed quickly and then we were both naked and falling onto the bed. I couldn't deny the electricity that I felt as our bodies pressed against one another. Lips and hands and legs were thrashing around wildly as we tried to get as close to each other as we could.

"God, baby," Eddie moaned into my ear, breathlessly. "I need you so bad..." he took my earlobe into his mouth and bit down on it just enough to make me crazy.

"Fuck, babe....god, that feels _sooo_ good....I...ungh....shit......do that....again....please...." He had moved his mouth down my collarbone, onto my breast, taking my nipple and rolling his tongue around it until it was hard between his teeth. I grabbed a handful of hair and pulled as hard as I could and held him to me, arching my back trying to get as much of me into his mouth as I could.

He pulled away from my chest and looked me in the eyes. In one perfect motion, he took my mouth in his and sheathed himself into me completely. "Oh! My! God!" I screamed. I thrust my hips up to meet his and wrapped my legs around his waist. He pulled almost all the way out before slowly sliding back into me. Brushing my hair off my sweat covered forehead, he leaned his head into mine and said, "Look at me, babe. I want you to look at me while I fuck you."

My eyes never left his. We rocked together, in a perfect symphony of motion, until my body was shaking, tightening around him, causing his own body to tremble in time with mine. When we had ridden out the waves of our climax, he slid out of me slowly, propping himself up on his elbow.

Leaning over to whisper in my ear, he said, "God damn, doll, that was..." he paused, searching for the right word.

"...amazing?" I finished his sentence, with what I hoped was an appropriate adjective.

He cradled my face with his free hand and kissed my temple. "Amazing works." He smiled at me and then fell onto his back.

After a few minutes, we had both come completely down, and I was tired. And cold. I sat up on the bed and pulled down the covers, sliding my legs underneath. I didn't know if he would stay with me or not, and I was a little afraid to ask even though it was what I wanted.

"You coming?" I asked, looking up at him through my eyelashes. At first, he didn't say anything. I hadn't realized just how much I wanted him to say he would stay until that moment. I was about to try and do damage control when he finally spoke.

"I'd love to stay, if that's what you want," he said. I just nodded. "I do need to make a phone call first, though." He climbed out of bed and reached went into the main room to retrieve his phone from his jacket pocket. He was talking when he came back into the room.

"Hey, man....yeah....I just wanted _everyone_ to know that I'm alive and in one piece..." He winked at me as he sat back down on the bed. "You would assume correctly....yep...okay, so you'll....handle that for me?....thanks, man. I owe you one..." he chuckled at something the other person said, "yeah, that's probably true...see you tomorrow, then..." He flipped the phone shut and hit the power button before tossing it onto the bedside table.

"Everything okay?" I asked, snuggling deeper into the covers. I didn't usually sleep naked and I wasn't as warm as I liked to be at night.

Noticing my discomfort, Eddie slid into the bed and pulled me tight against his chest. Placing a soft kiss on the top of my head, he said, "Couldn't be better. Goodnight, doll face."

I smiled against his chest at the nickname he'd given to me. I returned a quiet, "Goodnight, cowboy," as I closed my eyes and fell asleep in his arms.

**Emmett**

I didn't care what Alice would think. I didn't care about the meeting or the buy out. I didn't care that I only had a few more days. I had never felt like this before, and I was going to hold onto Lily as hard as I could for as long as we had. Sleeping in my arms, she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. Coming into her place last night had felt like...I don't know, it felt comfortable and normal, like I belonged here. Laying in her bed, under the soft down comforter with her beautiful, naked body pressed up against mine, I felt something I couldn't identify, but it felt good. It felt right. I let myself fall asleep wishing that we could stay like this forever.

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When I woke up, Lily was already in the kitchen, making breakfast. She heard me rustling around in her bedroom and called out to me, "You want coffee?"

"Hell, yeah," I called back. Glancing at my watch, I knew I didn't have time for much more. It was already eight o'clock, and I was sure that Alice probably had already rescheduled our meeting. I would have to get back to the hotel and find out what the plan was. When I walked into the kitchen, she was standing with her back against the counter, on the phone.

"Yes," she said in a very business-like voice, "I do apologize again for last night.....yes, much, thank you...." I leaned over and kissed her on the ear and she shooed me away with the dishrag in her hand, "...so when would be a good time to meet?...Today? Yes, that would be fine. I think I'd rather it not be such a big production, if that's alright. Perhaps just the three of us? We can just...talk....." Once again, I leaned down and kissed her, this time on the neck. That got a full-on slap out of her and a quite effective 'evil eye.' "....yes, that sounds fine to me.....thanks again. I'll see you there." She hung up the phone and turned her attention to me, finally. "Damn it, that was business!" She was trying to sound mad, but she wasn't doing a very good job. It came out weak, but the attempt was kind of sexy.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into a kiss. "I'm sorry," I said, poking my bottom lip out in an attempt to gain forgiveness. Feigning reluctance, she slowly smiled at me and handed me a cup of coffee. I took it and went to get my jacket off the coat rack. "I really should be going, too," I said, not realizing how much I didn't want to go until I said it.

**Alice**

"Oh my god!" I sat straight up off the couch, chills running down my spine. "Emmett!"

"What?!" Bella asked, panicking at the sound of my voice. "What's wrong? Alice, is he okay? Is he hurt?"

I closed my eyes to try and concentrate. I couldn't _see _anything, just _feel_ it. And it felt awful. I felt I had been kicked in the gut. I couldn't breathe. My heart was hurting, and I had an emptiness in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to scream and cry and throw up and run and....I was feeling dizzy. I knew something was wrong, terribly, horribly wrong.

"He isn't hurt, not physically anyway," I said, just noticing that Bella had called Edward into the room and now they were both staring at me, waiting for more definite information.

"What is it, Alice?" Edward asked, sitting beside me and putting his arm around me.

I wrapped my arms around myself, holding on as tight as I could. "I don't know, really," I said. "But something is not right. It's like when this whole thing started. It's just a _bad _feeling. It was gone for a while. When I saw Rosalie and Emmett together in the end, the bad feeling went away, but now it's back. And it's worse than before." I looked up at my big brother and for once wished that I didn't have such a freakish ability to practically see the future. This was one future I didn't want to see.

**Emmett**

"Can I talk to you for a minute, first?" She asked as I was putting on my jacket and trying to straighten myself up. I knew I needed to look somewhat presentable when I walked into the hotel lobby again. I saw what looked like trepidation in her eyes as she looked quickly away from me. Realizing she was serious, I moved back toward the bar and sat on a stool, reaching across the counter to take her hand. She leaned over the counter top and looked down at her hands. "It's just....well, I need to say something and I hope, well, I hope you're not going to be mad at me..." She peeked at me from underneath her eyelashes.

She looked so afraid, it was making me a little nervous. What could she possibly say that would make me angry? "As long as you're not about to tell me that you're married," I laughed trying to make her relax, "then I'd say we're good." The truth was, her saying she was married was about the only thing that could make me angry at her. Looking into her scared, almost sad eyes, I was dying to know what she was thinking so I could make it better,make that look go away.

She smiled a little, but looked right back down at her hands. She tried to pull away from me, but I wouldn't let her go. "No," she said, "it's nothing like that. Not really. I mean, I'm not married or anything....but there is something. Something I haven't been entirely truthful about. It seems silly really, except it's kind of important, this thing that I haven't been honest about and..."

She was rambling. "Hey, doll face," I said, rubbing the back of her hand with my thumbs. "Look at me." She peeked again from underneath her eyelashes. "It's okay. Just tell me. I promise not to get mad."

"Okay," she sighed. "I...well, when we met that first night, I didn't think I'd ever see you again so...god, this in embarrassing! I just, I only did it because...honestly I don't know why I did it, I just.....Shit....my name isn't Lily. There I said it."

I couldn't help but chuckle. She'd used a fake name, too. I was about to tell her that she shouldn't be worried about my being mad since she wasn't the only one, when she said the five words I never expected.

"My real name is Rosalie."

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**End Notes: dum dum dum.........what's he gonna do?! act like a grown up and fess up? act like a man and not? run for the hills?........what do you think??? **

**Reviews help Emmett make decisions!! teehee :)**


	9. Decisions

**A/N: Alright! This chapter is ca-razy!! First of all, it is HELLA long! Second, it's got...well, everybody's POV!! It was just one of those things that took on a life of its own and I just had to keep writing!!**

**Thank you BIG TIME to the fabulous Gale, who inspires me with all the hoooottt pics of Kellan and Rob! She listens to my ideas, and tells me when they suck :) She betas so freaking fast it makes my head spin! She is the reason there are even nine chapters of this story, cuz I would have let it fizzle long ago....YOU ROCK,G!! muah!**

**I own: the Team Cullen shirt I have on...**

**I do not own: Twilight or any of SM's amazing characters... :(**

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Chapter Nine:

Decisons

**Rosalie**

I don't know how long he stared at me after I told him. He froze. It was really starting to freak me out when he finally exhaled.

"Oh," he said, just above a whisper. He kept his eyes on our hands on the counter, steadily rubbing his thumb over the back of mine.

"Oh?" I asked, dipping my head to try and catch his eyes with my own.

He let go of my hand and walked around the bar to stand behind me. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he buried his face in my hair and took a long, deep breath. "Rosalie....it's a beautiful name..." Pushing the hair off my shoulder with his nose, he kissed me. "...for a beautiful woman." He hugged me tighter to his chest. I wanted to turn around and look into his eyes, to make sure he wasn't angry, but he wouldn't give me enough room to move.

"Thank you for not being angry with me," I whispered. "I just, I don't know, this thing...it feels like more than I thought it was going to be and..."

He cut me off, "Shhh...it doesn't matter." He kissed me on the cheek. "I'm not angry. I don't think I could ever be angry at you....But..."

"But?" I asked, seriously afraid of what he was going to say next.

"But..." he squeezed me one more time before he let go, "I really do have to go." He kissed me on the top of the head and turned to get his keys off the counter.

"Okay," I said, wondering why he wouldn't look at me. "Well, I've got a lunch meeting set up for noon at Pappadeaux. Can I call you after?"

"Sure," he said, turning around but not really looking at me. "I'm not sure about my schedule, but leave me a message if I don't answer, okay?"

"Yeah," I said, walking toward him. He enveloped me in a huge hug, took my face in his hands, closed his eyes before softly kissing me on the lips, and then squeezed me to his chest again. He was inside the elevator and had the door closed before I could say anything else. "Bye," I said to my now very empty apartment.

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**Emmett**

I don't remember going back to the hotel. I don't remember walking into the elevator or getting into the cab. I don't remember opening the door to my suite. One minute I was sitting at the bar in Lily's, no make that in _Rosalie's_ apartment, and the next I was sitting on the bed in my hotel room. I _wanted _ to tell her the truth. I _needed _to tell her the truth. But my brain just froze, and I couldn't do it.

All I could think was _ This can not be happening. This can __**not**__ be happening. How the fuck did this happen? How is it that the one woman I meet, the one woman I'm finding myself more interested in than any other god damned woman I've ever known, the one woman I was already going to have a hard time letting go, how is __**that woman**__ the same woman I've come here to charm a company away from?_

I did the only thing I could think of, the only action that I could wrap my brain around in that moment- I held her one last time, kissed her one last time and left.

There was no good way to fix this. I wasn't sure it could be fixed at all. When, no make that if, I told her who I really was she was going to freak out. Especially since I hadn't confessed when she did. Now I was royally screwed, in so many, many ways. I fell back onto the bed and threw my arm over my face. I don't know how long I laid there, trying to find a solution that didn't exist. Finally, I did the only thing I could think to do.

"Weber," I said when Angela answered her cell. "I want you to come to Austin. To handle this buy out....I know what we said before, but now I'm saying that I want you to come down here and handle it....No, nothing's wrong, I just fucking want you to come do what you do best, okay?...Tell Bree to rearrange your schedule for the rest of the week. I don't know how long this is going to take. And be here tonight....Oh, and Weber...thanks."

I turned both of my phones off and went to take a shower. When I opened the bathroom door fifteen minutes later, I was really glad I had my boxers on because Alice was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed.

"Jesus, Al!"

"Will you just answer me one question? Please?" She said, squaring her shoulders.

"Sure." I rubbed my temples and walked the rest of the way into the room.

"Why are you making this so difficult?"

I walked over to the closet and began to get dressed. Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Alice."

"Fuck you, Emmett," She huffed. "You know that there's something special about this whole thing. Something special about this company, about Ms Hale..."

"Rosalie," I said under my breath. As soon as I said it, I regretted it and hoped that Alice didn't hear me.

"I'm sorry, what?" She said, sitting up on her knees.

I shook my head and mumbled, "Nothing."

"Oh, no, it wasn't nothing. You said 'Rosalie'. Why did you say that?"

"No reason," I lied, pulling my pants on and reaching back in the closet for a shirt. "I just think we need to stop calling her 'our Ms Hale', that's all. I mean, she has a name." When I had my shirt on, I pulled out my suitcase and started to throw clothes from the closet in it. "Look, I called Weber and she's flying in tonight to help you with the acquisition, okay? She's better at this real estate stuff than I am anyway. I'm going home."

It didn't happen often that my little sister was stunned into silence, but I had accomplished just that. Alice sat back on her feet and stared at me. "Oh. My. God." Her once squared shoulders slumped a little bit and she sighed. "Emmett, you have to tell me what the hell is going on. You do _not _take the back seat during a merger, not for anything." She waited for me to say something. I just kept packing. "Emmett!"

I couldn't look at her. If I looked at her, I would break down and tell her the truth, that I had spent the whole of our trip with "our Ms Hale" without even knowing it, that I was way too involved and way too interested in her to be objective anymore, that I found out who she was and I did _nothing_. Alice would be disappointed, and I couldn't stand for Alice to be disappointed, not in me.

"Emmett, for the love of god, look at me!" Alice was standing in front of me now, grasping at my hands and shaking me. "Will you please tell me what the fuck is going on here?"

I threw the last of my clothes into the bag and zipped it up, walking out into the living room and tossing it on the floor by the door. I sat on the sofa and put my elbows on my knees, head in my hands.

"It's Lily," I sighed, giving in to my sister like I always did. "She's..." I sighed.

Alice sat down beside me and put her tiny hand on my back. "You really like her, huh, Em?"

I nodded and sighed again, "You have no idea, Al. Really. I do, but...shit, it doesn't even matter."

"Wow, Em...I didn't realize....I just...will you please tell me what's wrong? What happened?"

"She told me something this morning, Alice, and...it's pretty big."

"She's married?" Alice tried to giggle, just for me.

"No," I said, managing a smile for her. "Hey, let me ask you something first." I remembered the phone call that Rosalie had before I left her place. I knew it was a long shot that my Rosalie _wasn't_ Ms Hale, but I had to be certain. "Did you call Ms Hale, I mean Rosalie, this morning? Reschedule the meeting for lunch today? Some place called Pappadeaux?"

Alice looked at me in the way I knew that people looked at her the first time she made a prediction or told them something she really had no way of knowing. "Yeah," she said, "How did you know that?"

My head fell between my hands, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Because she told me."

"Okay," Alice said, "I am so fucking confused right now I can't even think straight. Would you _please _tell me what the hell is going on?"

"It's Lily, Alice. Lily is Rosalie. She used a fake name when we met," I couldn't help but let a laugh escape at the fact that we had both hidden our true identities, without knowing the trouble it would cause. I repeated softly, "_My_ Lily is _our_ Ms Hale._"_

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**Bella**

When Emmett called and said he needed to see Edward immediately, I knew Alice had been right and something was terribly wrong. I had no idea how wrong until Edward and I walked into Emmett and Alice's suite. She was already in mid-tirade.

"....didn't tell her?! You! Didn't! Tell! Her! I still can _not _believe that you didn't tell her. What is wrong with you, Emmett?! Here all this time I've been worried that you were going to screw things up by being with Lily and...shit! I can't believe I didn't see this! Would it have been so hard to just laugh and say 'Well guess the fuck what?!' Really?!" She was pacing the floor and waving her hands around and talking so fast it was hard to understand her.

Poor Emmett was on the sofa, head in his hands, looking like he'd just been run over by a truck. He looked up at Edward and I when we walked in and relief flooded his face. Standing up, he motioned for Edward to follow him, and then he pointed his finger between me and Alice, begging me with his eyes to calm her down.

"Alice, honey," I said, walking over and taking her by the elbow. "Why don't you come sit down with me and tell me what's going on?"

Glassy-eyed, Alice stopped pacing and followed me to the sofa. "Bella, I told you he was going to make this difficult and he has. He's made it impossible now!" She took a deep breath before she continued. "Did he tell you?" I shook my head 'no'. "That woman he's been seeing? Lily? The one from the bar?" I nodded to let her know that I was following her. "Well, it turns out that Lily isn't her real name after all." I nodded again, a little slower this time. "Turns out, her real name," she paused, for effect I guess or maybe because she was still having a hard time with it herself, "well, her real name is Rosalie."

For a moment, neither of us spoke. I stared at her, disbelieving and waited for the punch line. There wasn't one.

"Shut. Up." Was all I could say.

*************************************************************************************

**Emmett**

"...so you can see," I was telling Edward, "that it's really better if I just leave now. I freaked out and didn't tell her the truth and now if I tell her it's just going to look like I knew the whole time and she'll think..." I didn't even want to imagine what she would think.

"But what about the buyout?" Edward asked.

"I don't have to be here for that, man," I said. "Angela Weber is on the way here. She and Alice can handle this. All I really have to do is sign the paperwork, and I don't even have to be here for that."

"But she thinks you're here. Isn't she expecting you at the meeting today?"

"Yeah, but Alice will just have to tell her I went back to Seattle. She can keep her mouth shut about me and..." For a moment, I had an idea. It wasn't a good idea, but I was grasping at straws. "Or...you could go and pretend to be me." I raised one eyebrow at Edward, hoping against hope that there was some way my crazy idea might work. Maybe, in some fantasy world, Edward could pretend to be me and I could go on being Eddie and I could stay in town and see Rosalie and we could...God, I was losing my mind!

"Sorry, bro," he said, slapping me on the shoulder, "I met her last night. She already knows what I look like."

I didn't know that he'd met her at the bar with Alice. "You met her, huh?"

"Yeah, man. And I gotta say, she's something else. She seems like quite a woman. Pretty, too."

"Thanks," I grumbled. "Way to be helpful, there, Eddie." Then it hit me, one more thing that could only make this worse. Eddie. She'd been introduced to Edward. Fuck, could this get any worse? I closed my eyes and shook my head as it fell again. "Perfect. You met her. She knows your name." Edward looked at me, confused. "My fake name," I said, trying to clue him in.

"What?" He asked.

"No sense in hiding it now," I said looking away from my brother. "Eddie. She thinks my name is Eddie...Cullen."

"Well, shit, Em!" Edward said. "No wonder you're flipping out. If she ever finds out she's gonna think..."

I cut him off, "...she's going to think we set her up. She's going to think I used her and that we were all in on it. And I know enough of her personality to know that if she feels threatened like that, I just might be screwed in more ways than I can even think of right now."

"Wait, you gave her your _real_ last name?" I nodded, completely worn out and in no mood to pretend or even defend myself any longer. "Dammit, Em. If she finds out and she is in any way vindictive or in the mood for revenge, then she could...."

"...ruin me? Yeah, I know. I don't _think_ she would do that, she isn't mean, but if she felt used or played....well, I don't want to put her in that position in the first place. That's why I have to get out of here and she can _never _find out."

"Well," Edward sighed, "Alice hasn't said anything about her vision changing so..." He stopped talking abruptly and looked just the slightest bit guilty, like he'd said something he wasn't supposed to say.

"Huh?" I asked. I was too worn out for a more eloquent interrogation.

"Well...." he dragged out the word, apparently fishing for the right words. "Let's just say, I think Alice has seen the end of this little adventure here and, well, I think if you play your cards right, things might be alright in the end." He slapped me on the shoulder again and nodded, like I was supposed to understand what he meant.

"Alice will just have to explain that one to me later, then."

*************************************************************************************

Bella convinced Alice to go to the lunch meeting and tell Rosalie that I had to return to Seattle. Alice would tell her the basics of the deal we were offering and then Angela would meet them for dinner with Peter and Charlotte to discuss the details. If they agreed, then Angela and Alice would finish up the initial proceedings and then fly home where we could complete the deal with faxes and emails. Rosalie would never have to know anything about the real me.

Alice was pissed as hell at me for leaving, but I'd told her she wasn't getting her way this time. I needed to leave. I needed to get away from Austin and away from Rosalie and clear my head. Beyond what she could do to me professionally, if Rosalie ever found out that I'd lied to her, she would never forgive me. She would hate me, and I couldn't stand the thought of her hating me. She would be upset that "Eddie" left suddenly, but I could call her and smooth it over enough to eventually let her down easy.

I was in the Tahoe, sitting in the rental car return parking lot at the airport, willing myself to get out of the car. I had only one hour until my flight left. I'd gotten myself a first class ticket and left the private jet for Edward, Bella, Alice and Angela to return in later. It was the least I could do after making such a mess of things. Finally, I grabbed my duffle bag out of the back seat and made my way into the terminal.

Looking at my watch, I noticed the time- two o'clock. Alice and Rosalie would be wrapping up probably, which meant that Rosalie would be calling me soon. I took the extra cell phone out of my jacket pocket and held my finger over the power button. I should have turned it off right then.

_Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz. _

The text that I knew I shouldn't answer appeared on the screen.

_hey there. i'm done 4 now. how's your day looking? ~R_

I stared at it, trying to decide what to do. I couldn't just disappear. I cared too much about her to just disappear. I'd have to tell her that I was leaving and didn't have time to see her again. I tried typing that message, three times. I deleted it, three times.

_hey there. my day kinda sucks. can u meet me in an hour? ~E_

I typed and sent before I could stop myself. As soon as she answered 'yes', I jumped back into the Tahoe and sped out of the parking lot.

The whole way back downtown, all I could think about was kissing her. I couldn't stand the thought of not being with her. I had to see her, touch her, just fucking be near her. I knew then that somehow I would have to tell her the truth, but not today. I would win her first. She could think that Emmett McCarty went back to Seattle. I'd make her fall for me the way I had fallen already, so fucking hard, for her. And in the end, she would find out the truth about my name, and she would realize that it's just a word, and she wouldn't care about the company or how we met or any of it. She wouldn't feel betrayed or used or played. She would know _me_, and she would love _me_......or....she. would. kill. me.

Either way, I wasn't leaving Austin.

*************************************************************************************

**Alice**

Lunch was almost a disaster. If it hadn't been for Bella, I never would have made it. She went with me and helped me keep on task. When we'd walked in to see Rosalie already seated and waiting for us, Bella whispered in my ear, "Remember, Alice, this is just business. We are _not _going to talk about _anything _else. Okay?" I nodded and headed for our table.

"Ms Hale," I said, reaching out to shake her hand. "I'm so glad to see you're feeling better today."

"Yes, thank you," she said. "And please, call me Rosalie." I nodded, feeling more and more like shit for doing what I was about to do to this nice woman. "I'd like to apologize for last night also. Nerves and alcohol..." She laughed a small, nervous, laugh, letting her voice fall at the mention of alcohol.

Bella cut in, "Don't worry about it! Right, Alice?" She punched me lightly with her elbow, encouraging me to stay with the plan.

"Of course!" I looked between her and Bella. "You don't mind that I brought Bella, do you, Rosalie?" I asked, realizing I didn't give her any choice in the matter, but I had to have Bella with me or I wasn't going to be able to contain myself.

"Well, no, of course not. It's nice to see you again, Bella," Rosalie said, glancing around us as we sat. "But will Mr. McCarty be joining us today?"

I bit my lip and reminded myself the it wasn't mine to tell. "Well, unfortunately, something has come up and Mr. McCarty had to return to Seattle this morning. Angela Weber, our VP of Acquisitions, will be here tonight and she will handle all the details. Right now, I'm just going to give you the basics of the deal we're offering and answer any questions you may have about McCarty Furniture. I've been with Mr. McCarty since day one. So, whatever you want to know..." Now I was the one letting my voice fall.

The waiter came to take our drink order, and I managed to refrain from ordering whisky which is what my nerves needed, opting for water instead. Bella smiled and nodded slightly at me, knowing the decision had been a bit of a struggle.

Once we were settled in, Rosalie spoke, "So, Alice, I do have one question." I took a large sip of water and nodded to her over my glass. "Well, I'm just wondering why?"

Wow. The woman had no idea how many ways there were to take that question in that moment. Of course, she was talking about the company, I had to remember that. "Well," I began, "Ms Weber found you, really. She showed Mr. McCarty the information that she'd gathered on Hale's Angel and told him she thought it would be a good match. She's never been wrong about an acquisition before, so...well, here we are."

Bella leaned in, "Of course, the 'specialty bedrooms' division caught their eye as well, right, Alice?" She winked at me and then turned to Rosalie. "I have to ask, what is with that anyway?"

Rosalie blushed a little. I noticed then just how beautiful she was. She and Emmett would make a pretty couple, much like Edward and Bella. Her blonde hair and fair skin along with her icy blue eyes and long legs made her look like a supermodel. She'd make a good complement to Emmett, who looked more like a linebacker than a CEO. Plus, she looked like she might could hold her own in a fight if she had to. I giggled a little at the image of Rosalie joining the annual Cullen family Labor Day beach football game. I'll bet she could take Emmett down. Luckily, Bella had asked about the 'specialty bedrooms' division so my giggle did not seem out of place.

"Actually," Rosalie was explaining, "my aunt Charlotte came up with that little gem of an idea." She raised her eyebrows at me, knowing I had met her aunt the previous night and would be surprised at that piece of information. She went on to tell us about Aunt Charlotte's discovering the world of S&M on a trip to Europe in her younger days and bringing the idea of the furniture line back to Rosalie's father. "None of us could believe how successful that division became. My mother was astounded at how fast word travelled about the line and with no advertising of it whatsoever. I mean, how do you advertise _that_ anyway?" Bella and I couldn't help but laugh, she had a point. "But, it's actually our most successful line, even though it's also our most guarded. We only have two showrooms, one here and one in Oklahoma City, and you can't get in without a manager's approval. It pays to be discreet."

"Yes," I said, taking a long sip from my glass, wishing more than ever that it was more than water, "there is something to be said for discretion."

We talked a bit more about business before she called Peter to make arrangements for a dinner meeting with Angela. Once all the particulars had been worked out, we were left with nothing business related to talk about. I wasn't ready to let her go, though. I wanted to talk to her, get to know her a little bit. But I wasn't sure how to do it without being obvious.

"Alice," Bella said, eyeing me with an intensity I rarely saw in her eyes, "I need to head to the ladies room. Do you think you can_ behave _yourself while I'm gone?" She cocked her head to the side and smiled.

"Yes, Bella," I chirped, acting as though I had no idea what she could possibly mean, "I'm sure we'll be just fine."

When Bella was gone, I leaned into Rosalie and whispered, "I had one of your specialty canopy beds and a box of silk scarves delivered to Bella and Edward's house back home!"

Rosalie's eyes lit up in amusement. You didn't have to know Bella well to understand why it was funny. She leaned into me and, keeping watch for Bella said, "Ooooh, do tell..."

*************************************************************************************

**Rosalie**

Lunch with Alice and Bella was good. Alice gave the brief breakdown of the company buyout procedure. I had to admit, it was quite an offer they were making me. I mean, we still had to work out specifics, but I planned on leaving that to my Uncle Peter and her Angela Weber. If Peter thought it was a good deal, then I'd take it. It was nice, too, to just talk to Alice and Bella for a little while, not about the buyout. I was reminded of all I missed about my old girlfriends. We did finally say goodbye, though.

When I looked at my phone, it was two o'clock. I decided to try and text Eddie, to see if he was busy. He said his day kinda sucked and wanted to meet me in an hour. That would give me just enough time to run home and change. On the way to my apartment, he texted me again:

_meet u at your place. that ok?_

I quickly punched a 'sure' while i was sitting at a stoplight. I was glad he wanted to come to my place. When he'd left that morning, things had seemed so...strained, and I was looking forward to making a better memory this time.

When I got inside my building, I saw him sitting on the wooden bench that was beside the elevator. He had a duffle bag at his feet, his jacket slung over the bench and his head in his hands. He looked haggard and tired and...worn out. I'd only known him a few days, but I'd never thought he could look so beaten. He looked up at me slowly as I approached.

"Hey there, cowboy," I said softly, tilting my head to the side and sticking my bottom lip out in a pout. "You look rough."

He just nodded and ran his hands over his face as he stood up. He looked down at the duffle bag at his feet and then back at me. "Look, doll face," he said, stepping closer to me, "I know that it is completely crazy of me to ask, but...well, see, I kinda...shit, I need a place to stay. I checked out of my hotel. I'm supposed to be on my way back home. I'm supposed to be on a plane right now, but I just...I guess I'm fucking running away for a few days...."

He looked so sweet and so, scared almost. I put my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You can stay here as long as you want," I said.

We went up to my apartment and I got out my emergency bottle of MaCallan 12-year from its hiding place. I took two glasses and placed them on the bar. Eddie tossed his bag next to the couch and hung up his jacket. He sat down at the bar and picked up the bottle.

"Mmmm," he sighed, "hiding the good stuff, I see?" He cocked one eyebrow at me and smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, or his dimples.

"You pour," I said. "I'm going to go change, okay?"

He nodded and started to open the bottle as I went into my bedroom and closed the door. I was pulling on some sweats when I heard his booming voice through the door. I could tell he was trying to be as quiet as he could, but he sounded angry.

"I don't fucking care!....I told you, you can handle it without me. I don't need to be there....Quit trying to fucking run my life....I love you, I do, but I need to do this my way, okay? Can't you understand that?!....Jesus, sis, I just can't, okay? I just...fuck! Please! I am begging you to just back the fuck off for five god damned minutes, okay?!....."

I didn't want him to think I was standing in here listening, so I opened the bedroom door with a little more force than necessary so he would hear me coming out. He turned to me and gave me a half-smile, holding up one finger and closing his eyes.

He sighed into the phone, "Look, I'm sorry, okay? Really.....Please, just trust me....besides, you'll know be the first to know if I screw up right?...." he tried to laugh, "...I know....yeah, I love you, too...soon, I promise...bye." He ended his call and turned to the bar, taking the glass of scotch and downing it in one gulp before turning back to face me.

"You know, Eddie," I said, walking toward the bar seat next to him, "you really shouldn't down scotch like that. You'll get drunk really fast and the next thing you know, you'll be waking up in some strange woman's bed." I smiled, picking up the glass he'd poured for me and downing it as he had.

He poured us both another and, handing me mine, said, "I think I'd be okay with that. If you'll do me one little favor?" His blue eyes bore into mine like he was searching for something. I nodded, too afraid to ruin the moment with words. "Call me E. The people I'm closest to in this world just call me E." He downed his second glass and nodded for me to do the same. I nodded before taking the drink down in two swigs. Before I could put my glass down on the bar, he had scooped me into his arms and was kissing me. He stood up, kicking the bar chair out of the way as he carried me into my bedroom.

*************************************************************************************

**End Notes: So...I know, I know, there was a little cockblocking there at the end...next chapter, I promise! :)**

**I am going on vacation~ a week at the beach, leaving in just a few hours! I stopped packing the kiddos to post this for y'all! :) I plan on taking the mac with me, cuz, let's face it, I can't live without it! And since the beach tends to inspire me, who knows, you might get a little lemon out of me this week! **

**Review! Review! Review! Let me know what you think!! Ooohh! And we started a forum just in case y'all have any ideas, thoughts, suggestions you want to share! Link is on my profile! **

**~cb**


	10. I Am So Fucking Screwed

**A/N: So, here I am, on vacay at the beach and it's been quite...inspiring...as has the new music my friend turned me onto...Erin McCarley. She's awesome! I listened to one song and bought the whole album on iTunes! Her song "Sticky-Sweet" was playing on repeat the whole time I was writing this...and it makes a little appearance towards the end. **

**Thanks again to the master-beta that is my bestie, gale! you rock, woman! :) i giggle like a 12-year-old girl every time you say "wowie!" heehee**

**So, let's see...I own the Sam Adams I'm drinking...and the new LuLu's bottle huggie it's wrapped in...I do not, sadly, own Twilight or any of SM's amazing characters.**

*****************************************************************************************************

Chapter Ten:

I. Am. So. Fucking. Screwed.

**Emmett**

"Hey! Where are you going?!" I asked. Rosalie had jumped out of bed in a fury- and taken the sheet with her. I knew she couldn't be mad, not after the mind-blowing sex we'd just had.

"I just remembered!" She gasped, picking up her phone and flipped it open, looking at the clock. "I have a dinner meeting! If I don't get moving, I'm going to be late!"

A dinner meeting. With Angela Weber.

"Oh," I said. "So, you know, you never did tell me what's going on with work right now. You wanna talk about it?" I figured it couldn't hurt to know her feelings on the whole buyout scenario.

"Well," she sighed, sitting back on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. "I told you that my father left me his company? Well, some man who's in the business wants to buy me out."

_Some man who's in the business? _ Well, that was a little blow to the old ego. I was the biggest furniture manufacturer in the country, not some Joe Blow that sold couches and chairs.

"Who is it?" I asked, more interested in her response than I should have been.

"Have you ever heard of McCarty Furniture?" She asked, absentmindedly playing with the hem of the sheet she had wrapped loosely around her naked body.

_Well, yes, I guess you could say that I have._

"Sure." Technically, that was not a lie. Okay, it was totally a lie, but what was I supposed to say?

"Well, somehow they heard about my company. And they came down here from Seattle to try and buy it from me." Her eyes looked as though she were suddenly somewhere else. "I met with the CEO's assistant today and Peter and I have a dinner meeting with the head of acquisitions."

"Do you want to sell your company?" The question was out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. What the fuck? Since when did Emmett McCarty _ask_ if someone _wanted_ to sell him any god damned thing? You have it, I want it, I take it. That's how it works. At least, that's how it always had. Until now. Until what I wanted belonged to this amazing creature in front of me. Until I knew that what I wanted was the last thing she had left of her estranged father. But, did I want it? Really? Was it the company that I was thinking about when I showed up on her doorstep? Or was it something else, something more personal, someone....

_Shit! I. Am. So. Fucking. Screwed._

I dragged myself out of my own musings to realize Rosalie hadn't answered me. She had that faraway look in her eyes again. I reached up and placed my hand on her face, rubbing her cheek with my thumb.

"What is it, doll face?" I wanted to know what she was thinking. I needed to know what she was thinking. All of a sudden, after years of not caring, not even knowing usually, about the actual people involved in my takeovers, I cared so much about this woman and wether or not she _wanted _to sell her father's company to me.

Closing her eyes, she leaned into my palm and sighed. "I don't know...I just...I don't know what to do. I guess I figured I had to at least see what they're offering, you know? The truth is, I never saw myself running a furniture company. But, my father left it to me for some reason. Even though I'm an only child, he still could have, probably should have, left it to Peter and Charlotte..." she sighed again, before opening her eyes, the piercing blue shooting electricity through me like they had that first night. "...but he left it to me, and part of me wants to keep it."

Never had I given any thought whatsoever to the people I took a company from. Business was business. It was never personal. I didn't get wrapped up in the intimate details of the owner of a company. They had it, I wanted it, I got it. Done and done. Black and white. Sign on the dotted line and here's your check. But now, I was more than wrapped up in the intimate details of the owner of the company. For the first time in ten years, I found myself caring about the people involved in a buyout. But I couldn't. I was Emmett McCarty. Mr. Ruthless. Mr. Successful Ass. Mr. World's Most Eligible Dickhead. Looking into Rosalie's face as she talked about her dead, estranged father leaving her the only material thing he cared about, his life's work..... I wanted her to have whatever she wanted. I wanted her to be happy. I wanted her....Fuck. I had to say it again....

Am. So. Fucking. Screwed.

*************************************

Rosalie left for the meeting with Angela, and I decided it was time to call Alice again. She assumed I was back home in Seattle by now. I didn't plan on telling her any different. But I needed to smooth things over with her. She might have been a pain in the ass, but she was my baby sister and she did mean well. I picked up my phone and hit her speed dial, hoping to catch her before she went into the meeting.

"What?" Alice answered, sounding beyond pissed off. "I'm on my way to this meeting, you know, so make it snappy."

Good, I'd caught her in the car.

"I'm sorry, Al," I said. Starting with the apology was always a good thing with Alice. "Really. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"No," she said cooly, "you shouldn't have. We really need to talk about this, Emmett. I need to tell you something....Something about my vision. Something I didn't tell you before. It wasn't fair of me to keep it from you, I know that, but I just didn't want what I saw to get in the way of how things were supposed to happen."

"What is it, Alice?" I asked, rubbing at my temple with my free hand. "What didn't you tell me?"

"Well..." she began. Alice then told me that the day we landed in Austin, when I thought she got lost behind me, that she'd had a vision. She said she could see me and Rosalie, married with children, at the family's annual labor day picnic football game. That's when she knew the real reason Hale's Angel had been sent to us.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't even think. Knowing about what Alice had seen made her reaction to "Lily" make sense at least. I wanted to be mad at her for not telling me, but I knew that the decision to keep it from me must have been hard on her. I knew she took her visions very seriously, we all did. I must have been silent for too long, because I heard Alice, ask in a rather sheepish voice, "Emmet?"

I brought my thoughts back to my sister. "Yes, Alice, I'm here. I'm just a little...stunned, I suppose."

"I'm sorry, Emmett, really. I should have..."

"Stop it, Alice. It doesn't matter now." I said, trying to wrap my brain around the information. Alice's visions were always right. Unless something happened to change them. Something that changed the course someone was one. If someone changed their mind, or if something unexpected happened, things could change. She would sometimes have a new vision. "Alice, is this the only vision you've had? I mean, has it changed?"

"No," she said. "But I'm a little worried, Em. I mean, when Rosalie finds out, and she _will_, what then?"

She was right, I knew that. Rosalie finding out would be the one thing that could change what Alice had seen.

"I'll deal with that, Al, don't you worry about it, okay? You just stay in Austin with Weber until the deal is done." I was about to say something I had never said before in my professional life. "And, Alice, I want you to do something for me, okay?"

"Sure, Em, anything," she said, a smile in her voice.

"I want you to double the offer we were going to make them, okay? And Peter and Charlotte, they get to stay as long as they want. In fact, tell Weber to offer Peter the COO position, okay?" Alice was silent. Never before in my thirty-one years of being Alice's brother, had I ever known the little pixie to be speechless. "Um, Alice, are you there?"

"Yeah,um...I'm here...just a little shell shocked I guess."

"Just do it, okay?" I said. "And I'll see you back home when it's done, alright?"

I ended the call with Alice and went to get dressed. I needed to find a market. I needed wine and flowers and whatever else I could think of for the night I had planned. It was way too soon to actually tell Rosalie how I felt or who I really was, but I planned on doing some serious wooing tonight. If I couldn't tell her the truth, I was sure as hell going to show her.

************************************************************************************

**Rosalie**

I arrived at Hudson's, and gave the hostess my name. She led me to a table in the back where Peter and Charlotte were already seated.

"Hey, Uncle Peter," I said as he stood. I leaned over and kissed his cheek before taking my seat and turning to my aunt. "Hey Aunt Charlotte."

"Hey there, sweetie," Charlotte said. "How are we feeling tonight?" She smiled a sly smile.

"Fine," I replied. "No alcohol for me tonight. The nerves are better, though. My lunch meeting with Mr. McCarty's assistant went well today. She's really sweet, Alice. I like her."

"Good, dear," she said. "I'm glad."

"So, Rose," Peter chimed in, "have we given anymore thought to the offer they're making?"

I took a deep breath. "Well," I said, "I've been thinking, and part of me wants to keep Hale's Angel. Dad left it to me, for whatever reason. He should have left it to you, but he didn't, I don't know why..."

Peter cut in, "Because you were his only child, Rose, and he knew you would take care of it. Do the right thing, whatever that may be."

"So," I asked, "what do you think? Do you think we should sell?"

"I think we should hear the details from this Ms Weber first. She'll have to give us some time to discuss it. Think it over. Let's not make up our minds until she lays out their offer, okay?"

"That's what I was thinking. I was talking to someone today about it, and I think the best thing to do is to hear her out. Then decide." I agreed.

"Talking to who?" Charlotte asked. "This mystery man you've been seeing?" She eyed me, trying to coax information out of me.

"Maybe," I smiled.

I was saved from further interrogation by the lilting sound of Alice's voice.

"Why, hello there!" She chimed. "It is so good to see you all again."

Peter stood and made introductions. Alice introduced Angela Weber to us before they took their seats.

"So," Alice started. "As you know, Mr. McCarty had to return to Seattle on business, so he's sent Ms Weber here to work out the details with you. She is our Vice President in charge of acquisitions. She has all the information here, for you to look at." Alice handed each of us a folder with papers inside detailing the workings of such a buy out.

"As you can see," Ms Weber spoke, "McCarty Furniture could greatly increase the reach of your line of furniture. We would incorporate them into our showrooms across the nation and abroad, as well as creating their own niche market boutique showrooms in similar cities. As for the specialty bedrooms division, well, we could make that an even bigger profit maker than it is now. Of course, we would not in any way decrease the integrity with which your furniture is made. We would stick to your established standards and methods, using your plans for existing lines."

I looked over the papers in my hand as she spoke. She seemed sincere and I alrady trusted Alice to be fair and honest with us.

"We are offering you, Mr. and Mrs. Hale, your current positions, with substantial raises, of course, if you so choose. In fact, Mr. Hale, Mr. McCarty has authorized me to offer you the position of Chief Operating Officer, should you choose to stay on."

I nearly choked on the water I had just sipped into my mouth. Charlotte's jaw dropped open and Peter just looked stunned.

"Really?" I asked. "That's so generous of you."

"Well," Alice piped up, "my boss is intent on keeping as much of Hale's Angel together as possible. He likes to buy companies, not tear them to pieces."

We sat in silence for a few moments, processing what they had said. I glanced over the papers again, noticing an obscene number at the bottom of the last page.

"This," I said, pointing to the number. "Is this...?" I couldn't bring myself to finish the question.

"That is your compensation for allowing us to buy your company, Ms Hale," Ms Weber stated, matter-of-factly.

I felt all the air rush out of my lungs. Was she kidding? That number was twice what the company was worth. I was expecting a much, much lower number and would have been happy with it, probably. I could take that money and start my own design firm like I'd always wanted. I could buy a house, a car, a boat....

"Rose," Peter asked, breaking me from the spell that the number had cast over me.

I shook my head a little, "Yes," I said, "I'm sorry. I just...wasn't expecting it to be such a large amount..."

Ms Weber smiled and said, "Yes, well, apparently Mr. McCarty wants your company pretty badly and he authorized me to make you such a substantial offer."

Alice was grinning from ear to ear. "Yes," she said, all pixie like and happy, "Mr. McCarty wants to make sure that you are more than fairly compensated for your assets. He understands how important this company is to you, Ms Hale, and he wants to make sure you know how much we plan to take care of it. Should you agree to sell it to us, of course."

Again, I was stunned. I couldn't believe how much money they were offering. I couldn't believe they wanted to keep Charlotte and wanted Peter to stay on as COO. I couldn't believe any of it. It was just so insane.

"How much time do I have to decide?" I asked. I needed to talk to Peter and Charlotte about it. And I wanted to talk to E, too.

"I plan to stay in town through the end of the week," Ms Weber said. "I would like to do a walk through of your factory and the distributions center as soon as possible, as well."

"Of course," I said. "Alice can call my secretary, Joan, in the morning and set up something."

"Great," Ms Weber said, closing her folder and placing it inside her bag. "Now that we have all of that out of the way, let's order and just get to know one another? How does that sound to everyone?"

Relieved to have the hard part of the night out of the way, I gladly closed my own folder, as did everyone else, and we picked up our menus.

******************************************

When I pulled up at my building two hours later, I was still a little woozy from thinking about the amount of money they were offering me. I couldn't wait to get inside my apartment and tell E about it. I jumped in the elevator and hit the button. When I pulled the grate open into my apartment, I was shocked speechless for the second time of the night.

The lights were off, save the dim lights above the bar. There were what looked like a million candles all over the place, on every steady surface. There were bouquets of wildflowers in at least ten vases around the room. There was music playing, it was soft, but sexy. In the middle of the room, my furniture had been cleared away and there were four enormous brown pillows on the rug. In front of the pillows was a small tray with a bottle of wine and two glasses sitting on it.

I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up as a soft, warm breath caressed the skin there, "Welcome home, doll face." E was standing behind me, sliding my jacket off my shoulders and taking my bag from me.

"Wow," I breathed, still unable to fully speak. "What is all this?"

"Just thought you might need a little R and R after your meeting, that's all," he said in a whisper that matched mine.

He took me by the hand and led me over to the living area and sat me down on one of the giant pillows. I fell into it, letting my head rest against the back, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

"So," he said, "how was your meeting tonight?" I could hear the wine being poured into the glasses.

"It...was...unreal..." I said. There was no other word to describe that meeting, and the terms of the offer I'd received. Peter and Charlotte had agreed to let me go home and think about it before we discussed it in detail.

I opened my eyes to find E sitting in the giant pillow beside me, smiling, holding out a glass to me.

"Well," he said, a question in his voice, "do you want to talk about it?"

"The offer they made me....it's just...wow...it's really unbelievable."

"Really?" He asked, sounding strangely unsurprised. "How so?"

"Well," I said, "they just offered me...so much. Like twice what the company is even worth. And they want Charlotte to stay. And they offered Peter the COO job if he wants it, with his current job if he doesn't. There's all the other details, too, like putting our stuff in their showrooms on top of adding stand alone showrooms. It just blew my mind, really." The offer still sounded like a dream, even though I'd gone over the folder a million times in my head.

"It sounds to me like this guy really wants your company, babe," he said, taking a sip of his wine and reaching for the bottle to top of our glasses. "What are you going to do?"

"I honestly don't know...it's almost too good..." I sighed. "You know, what, though, I don't wanna think about it anymore tonight. Peter and I are going to meet tomorrow to talk about it."

"Whatever you want, doll face," he smiled at me. That damn panty dropping smile, all dimples and eyelashes. I'd be dropping mine tonight, no doubt. Well, metaphorically anyway, since I technically wasn't wearing any. I leaned over to the tray sat my wine glass down. I sat up on my knees so I was kneeling in front of him. Reaching down to the hem of my dress, I pulled it up and over my head, leaving me in nothing but the black stilettos I had worn to dinner. E handed me his wine glass, and I sat it on the tray as he started to unbutton his shirt. I sat the glass down quickly and swatted his hands away from his chest. Taking his shirt in my hands, I jerked at it, sending at least a few buttons to the floor.

Surprise and lust in his eyes, he pouted, "What exactly do you have against Armani?"

"Nothing in particular," I said, running my fingers on the waistband of his khaki shorts, taking no time to get the button on those undone as well. He lifted his hips just enough for me to slide the shorts down his legs and off his feet. I tossed them onto the floor with his ruined shirt.

I left him there, on the giant pillow, and walked to the stereo. I put in my new Erin McCarley CD and set it to play my favorite song, "Sticky-Sweet" on repeat.

_**Here's to who you are to me**_

_**No wishing well could ever bring**_

_**You celebrate my smile**_

_**You color my depressive mood**_

_**From gray to the most brilliant blue**_

_**Shape every tear into a candy sky**_

I walked, almost stalking, back to where E sat, staring at me from his seat. Kneeling down in front of him, I put my hands on his knees and spread them just enough to fit myself between them. Leaning up, pressing my breasts to his bare chest, I place feather light kisses on his torso, leaving a trail all the way up to his mouth. His lips were pouty, soft and waiting. I lightly ran my tongue across his bottom lip.

_**Take me home to your secret**_

_**Take me home to your wild sanctuary**_

_**I don't wanna hold off**_

_**Because you're sticky, you're sticky sweet on me**_

_**I don't wanna hold off**_

_**'Cause I'm inspired by your offbeat dreams**_

_**You make me never forget**_

_**How it feels to be that fortunate someone**_

_**I don't wanna, no, I don't wanna, I don't wanna hold off**_

_**You're getting to me**_

Running my hands up and down his thighs, higher and higher, I took his lip between my teeth and looked him dead in the eye. The intensity with which he stared back at me was breathtaking. I could feel my insides turn to mush, and not just for the wild lust that was slowly taking us over. I'd never felt so strongly about a man before, certainly not after such a short amount of time. I couldn't help myself, though. I felt like I was falling in love.

_**There's music in my head**_

_**Of heart shaped melodies in red**_

_**And if this is just the start I can't wait to hear the end**_

_**The hours come and go**_

_**As we lay wrapped up tight in your silver glow**_

_**I've never been this content to be**_

Reaching between our bodies, I took him into my hand, slowly rubbing up and down his hardened length. I watched as his eyes fluttered closed and his head fell back, his mouth slightly open, a slight moan escaping. Without removing my hand, I sat up and grabbed his hair with my free hand and pulled his lips to mine. Crushing my lips to his, my tongue sought entrance into his mouth and he opened up to me. We kissed- wildly, passionately, and without restraint. I released him from my grasp and our hands sought out one another's bodies. He grabbed my breast in one hand and my hair in the other. I ran my long fingernails up and down his leg and grabbed at his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. His lips left mine and took purchase along the sensitive skin at my collarbone, sending shivers over my entire being.

_**Take me home to your secret**_

_**Take me home to your wild sanctuary**_

Prying myself from his hold, I stood, holding up one finger and whispering in a throaty moan, "Stay."

He nodded and smiled at me as I walked toward my bedroom. I reached into my bedside table and pulled out a sting of condoms. I folded them into my hand, smiling to myself thinking about the man waiting for me in the other room. My heart was fluttering, and again the feeling seemed to be more than lust. Turning on my five-inch heels, I walked back into the living room. I stopped just in front of E, grinning slyly and letting the strip of condoms fall from my palm, holding the top one with two fingers.

"Ahh," he moaned, "someone's got grand plans for the night."

I ripped one condom from the strip and opened the package with my nails. Letting the wrapper fall to the floor with the rest of the strip, I fell also, to my knees and positioned myself once again between his legs. I slid that condom onto him and then reached around to take off my shoes.

Leaning up to grab my arm, he smirked, "Don't you fucking dare." He shot electricity through my veins as he looked at me.

Grinning, I nodded and pushed myself up so my knees were on the giant pillow beside his thighs. Slowly, I lowered my body onto his, sheathing his hardness inside of me. I grabbed onto his shoulders, needing to steady myself from the rush of finally being bound together again. Looking into his eyes, I rocked my hips as I reached for his lips again. Kissing me with unbridled passion, he rocked his hips along with mine, thrusting up and I came down.

_**Can you hear the angels singing**_

_**While you lay your hands on me?**_

_**Can you feel the bells are ringing?**_

_**Oh, I surrender all of me, all of me**_

_**I don't wanna hold off**_

_**Because you're sticky, you're sticky sweet on me**_

_**I don't wanna hold off**_

_**'Cause I'm inspired by your offbeat dreams**_

Placing his hands on my sides, he flipped me onto the floor, onto the soft rug that lay beneath the giant pillows. Taking my right ankle in his hand, he bent my leg, placing his hand on the floor so his elbow was holding my knee in place. His other hand sat beside my head as he climbed over me, thrusting into me once again. I could feel the goosebumps rising over my entire body again, causing me to arch my back to meet his wild thrusts.

For a long time, we didn't speak at all, just stared at one another as we moved back and forth together. His thrusts were hard and fast, quickly bringing me to the edge. Sensing my impending release, he would slow down and make his movements softer, keeping me from finding what I needed most. He released my leg, moving his hand that had been holding me in place to rest on the other side of my head.

_**I don't wanna, no, I don't wanna, I don't wanna hold off**_

_**You're getting to me**_

_**I don't wanna hold off, you're sticky sweet**_

Sweat was running down my chest, in between my breasts, and he leaned down, licking it from my skin, leaving instead a tingly trail when he blew his warm breath over the same line.

He pulled away from me, leaving me feeling empty with the loss of him from inside me. He snaked his hands around my waist and made to turn me onto my stomach. He led me, on my knees, to lay face down on one of the giant pillows. He situated me just where he wanted me, and I let him. He entered me from behind, sending a jolt of energy straight from my core right out the top of my head and the tips of my toes. I grabbed the sides of the giant pillow and dropped my face over the back side, moaning loudly as the hard and fast thrusts from earlier returned. I threw my head back and he grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling hard as he drove into me again and again and again. Soon, we were both breathless as we found release together once...and again...

_**I don't wanna, no, I don't wanna, I don't wanna hold off**_

_**You're getting to me**_

_**I don't wanna hold off, you're sticky sweet**_

The waves of our climax calming, he rested his forehead on my back for a minute before leaving my body and rolling us onto the pillow to our right. The feelings I was feeling earlier had not subsided. No, they were stronger now. I heard the words in my head.

_I am so in love with this man._

Quickly followed by the thought that were I to voice what I was feeling, he would most likely be out of the door before I could see it happen, I thought to myself...

_I. Am. So. Fucking. Screwed._

_*************************************************************************************_

**End Notes: Yeah, they're both in deep!! And it's gonna get sticky before it gets sweet! haha**

**Review and we can get to the sweet faster!! :)**


	11. Bikinis, Boats and Bars

**A/N: Driving home last night I had one of those *lightbulb* moments! I came home, pulled up my favorite shirtless Kellan pic and went to work! My bestie, G, had this emailed to her at 1a.m. and I had it back when I woke up at 8! Thanks, girl! :)**

**I own another new purse (I kinda have a little, um, collection heehee), a tiny chihuahua who thinks he's a German Shepherd and a new set of shiny silver bangles....**

**I do not own Twilight, or any of its characters. Those, much to our dismay, still belong to that lucky bitch SM! :)**

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Chapter Eleven

Bikinis, Boats and Bars

**Emmett**

Sunday morning I woke up before the sun rose, Rosalie sleeping soundly in my arms. We were still in the living room on the giant pillows I had bought. I carefully slid my arm from underneath her body and wrapped her in the soft blanket I had taken from her bedroom. I stood to stretch my legs and find my pants. Walking into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, I noticed the light on my phone blinking indicating I had messages. I opened my text messages.

9:30pm

_Hey Em. Wanted you to know the meeting went great. offered what you asked. think she'll take it. _

10:15pm

_what? no response? are you ok?_

11:00pm

_come on, em! are you still mad at me? i said i was sorry! i love you!_

12:30am

_ok, you're either asleep or ignoring me. please call me tomorrow. _

I sent Alice a quick text telling her I had shut my phone off last night. I promised her I wasn't angry, and told her I just needed some time to sort everything out. I promised to call later in the day.

It was Sunday, and I knew Rosalie needed some time away from the whole ordeal, so I planned to spend the day doing whatever it was that she did for fun. I sent an email to Angela and to another vice president, Mike Newton, letting them know that I was taking the week off for personal reasons. I assured them that I wasn't dying and had not been kidnapped, since they would most definitely think the world was coming to an end. I had never taken so much as an afternoon off, much less an entire week, in ten years. Knowing I would not be in Seattle, not be in the office, not be in charge...I had never felt so refreshed and...free. I closed my email and turned the phone back off, going to place it in the inside pocket of my duffle bag, where I hoped it would stay for at least a few days. I pulled out the extra cell phone I carried, knowing that, besides Rosalie, only Alice had the number.

Returning to the kitchen, I saw Rosalie beginning to stir on the floor. She stretched her arms over her head and looked around when she noticed I wasn't there.

"Over here," I said. She turned to look in my direction and I smiled at her. "You want coffee?"

"Mmmm," she sighed, "coffee sounds perfect." She sat up, wrapping the blanket around her body before standing up and moving to sit on one of the bar stools at the counter.

Sliding her a cup of coffee, I asked her, "So, it's Sunday. And I figure you need a day off, and since I don't live here, I was hoping you had some idea of what we could do today." I smiled my best, most dimpled smile at her, hoping to persuade her bend to my will of doing nothing for the day.

She grinned at me, her eyes alight. "Well," she said, "My uncle has a boat. We could go out on Lake Travis if you want."

A boat, huh? Just the thought of being out on the water, no distractions, no work, no buy out, no part of real life interfering sounded wonderful to me. Plus, there was the whole Rosalie in a swimsuit part. The thought of those long legs and those fabulous breasts in a bikini almost made me break out in a sweat.

"That sounds perfect," I said.

An hour later, Rosalie had called her uncle and secured the boat. She was in her room changing and packing a bag with towels and extra clothes.

I decided I needed to go ahead and call Alice. I knocked on her door, "Babe," I said, "I'm gonna step outside and make a phone call, okay?"

I heard her walking to the door before she cracked it, peeking around it so just her face was sticking out. "Okay, sure," she said. "I'll be done in a few minutes. You can wait for me downstairs if you want." I tried, in vain, to pull the door further open to see what she was hiding, but she slapped my hand away, saying, "Oh, no you don't. You can see it on the boat!" She winked at me before slamming the door in my face.

Shaking my head and laughing, I picked up my phone and sunglasses and headed for the elevator.

Alice answered on the second ring, "Well, it's about damn time!"

"Good morning to you, too, Al," I said, unable to keep the smile out of my voice.

"Hmmm," she said curiously, "you sound mighty chipper."

"I'm sorry I missed your texts last night," I said, hoping to change the topic.

"Yeah, yeah," she said. "So, what gives, huh? Angela just told me you sent her and Newton an email saying you were out for the week. What the fuck, Em?"

"I told you, Alice, I need some time to clear my head. I'm going to take a little trip, just chill out for a few days. By the time I come back, the buy out should be complete and I'll deal with everything then, okay?"

"Shit! Did I miss a weather report? Did hell freeze over last night? Was there some sort of alien invasion or an eclipse or something?!" Alice shrieked, "Emmett McCarty does _not _take a week off of work! Jesus! Last winter you had the flu, and you puked in your office bathroom for three days rather than stay home! You barely let Mike Newton take a conference call, but you're leaving him in _charge_ for five whole days?! Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

I couldn't help the laughter that escaped my lips. She was right. She knew something was up, she was Alice after all.

"Look, Alice, just trust me, okay?" I pleaded with her, "You and Angela handle things in Austin. Take the day off today, go shopping with Bella. Relax. You deserve it for putting up with my shit the last few days."

"Seriously, I'm gonna have to make Bella take me to the emergency room, or see if Edward brought his doctor bag because I'm pretty sure I'm having trouble hearing. Did _you _just tell _me _to relax?"

"I did, indeed," I said. "That's what I'm going to do. For once in my life, I am going to relax and just let things be. If this whole thing is going to go to shit, I'm going to make sure that I get in as much good before then."

"Speechless," she said almost in a whisper, "I am absolutely speechless."

"Good," I said, "that's a nice change of pace. Now, go. I'm turning this phone off now and I'll call you in a couple of days, alright?"

"Uh huh," she stammered.

"It'll be fine, Al. I promise."

"Uh huh."

"Bye, sis."

"Bye, Emmett."

I closed the phone and hit the power button, turning around to see Rosalie stepping off the elevator carrying a large bag and pulling a cooler. I ran to her, taking the cooler from her grasp and the bag off her shoulder.

"Everything okay," she asked.

"Yep," I said, "I just had to call my sister. She's kind of a worrier. I wanted her to know I was still alive."

"I didn't know you had a sister," she said.

"A brother, too," I said, feeling the overwhelming need to be as honest with her as I possibly could.

"Are you the oldest?" She asked, walking toward her car.

"I am," I said, lifting the trunk lid and picking up the cooler. "How did you know?"

"Are you kidding?" She laughed. "You're such a type A personality, you had to be either an only child or the oldest."

Not being able to argue with her logic, I slapped her on the ass and took the car keys out of her hand. "You might know where we're going, but I'll be damned if I'm being chauffeured around by a girl," I said, opening the passenger side door for her and waving my arm for her to get inside.

"See," she said, sliding into the seat, "type A all the way."

*************************************************************

The blue wake of Austin's Lake Travis splashed on the sides of the boat as we made our way through the water. Spending summers at the beach as kids, my father had taken us out on the family yacht countless times, but there was something about being on this boat in this water that made me feel as though I'd never set foot on a boat before. Watching Rosalie lying on the deck, soaking up the sun, made it hard to concentrate as I navigated us through the traffic on the lake. She was wearing a bright pink linen cover up over her bikini, which I had yet to have the privilege of seeing, and she was stretched out on a beach blanket, propped up on her hands, her hair spilling over her shoulders, head tilted to the sky. When we found a clear spot, we anchored the boat and opened the cooler.

I opened a beer for each of us, holding hers just out of her reach as I sat down beside her. "You get the beer when I see the bikini," I said, smiling.

"You wanna see the bikini?" She asked, winking at me as she had that morning from behind her door.

"Well, in all honesty, I'd rather see the bikini in a pile on the floor below deck, but I'll take what I can get," I said, leaning over to kiss her on the neck.

Getting to her knees, she reached down to the hem of the cover up and slowly pulled it over her hips, revealing her stomach and finally her chest until her head disappeared only to reappear quickly, her hair falling down around her face. I couldn't help but stare at the sight before me. To call what she had on swim wear would have been a gross overstatement. I could only imagine that getting that outfit wet would result in its immediate demise. There was barely enough fabric present to cover her lady parts, the strings holding the bright blue and pink striped bottom together would be easily pulled to pieces if I ever got my hands on them. And I had every intention of getting my hands on them. The top was the same bright blue and pink stripes, held together with similar, dental floss type ties. Her ample breasts were close to spilling out of the tiny triangles of cloth that held them in place.

The boat full of frat boys that was anchored nearest to us had taken notice of her as well. The caveman in me awakened, I sat down the two bottles I had in my hand and pulled her down into my lap, kissing her hard on the lips. Hearing the cat calls of the obviously drunk college boys, I pulled away from her long enough to shoot them a shit-eating grin and flip them off. That stunt earned me a thumbs up from our audience and a slap on the shoulder from Rosalie.

"What?" I asked, trying to sound innocent. "They needed to know you are not up for grabs," I said, sliding my hand down her back to rest on her ass, giving it a little squeeze. "Well, at least not for _them _to grab."

Rosalie laughed and shoved me away, taking her beer off he deck and settling on the blanket between my legs. "So," she said, taking a drink, "you said you have a brother and a sister. Tell me about them?"

Telling her what I could, and using their middle names, I spent half an hour recounting childhood memories and giving details of their lives now. I told her about my parents, that my father was a doctor also and my mother never worked, though she had a passion for remodeling houses. Rosalie took an interest in that, as I knew she would.

"Your family sounds wonderful," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"They are," I said. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without them." Rosalie was quiet, I imagined because she was thinking about her father. "Will you tell me what happened?" I asked. "With you and your dad?"

Reaching for another beer, and handing it to me to open, she took a deep breath and said, "It seems so silly now." She took the edge of my khaki shorts between her fingers and played with the seam as she spoke. "I was a bit rebellious as a teenager, I suppose. You know...parties, hanging out with the wrong kids, ignoring curfew stuff like that. Typical. But I had good grades and was in all the right extra curricular clubs and all. I played the violin and the piano. I was offered a full music scholarship to the University of Texas. But I didn't want to stay here. I wanted to go to Texas A&M and major in interior design. My dad said I had to go to UT and major in music. He said I could do whatever I wanted after that, he'd help me open a design studio if I wanted. But I said no. He said he wasn't paying for A&M when UT offered me a full ride. I guess he thought I would be afraid to go out on my own and I'd do what he wanted. But I didn't. I went to A&M anyway. I got a loan and worked my way through the rest." She stopped and looked out over the water, ignoring the laughter and the joy all around us. She laid on her back and played with her hair. "It was kind of the beginning of the end for us," she said. "After graduation, I moved to Atlanta and things were just never the same. It was a constant struggle between him and me. What I wanted against what he thought was best for me."

"But you came back," I said, remembering that she'd told me she'd been back in Austin for a couple of years.

"I did," she said. "I wanted to start a design firm here, to be close to them. To show them that I had chosen the right path....to make him proud of me again."

"So, why didn't you open the business?"

"I was in the process," she said wistfully. "I'd been working for a girl I'd gone to school with. She and I had an understanding that I was there to learn how to run a firm, she was teaching me all about the business side of things. That's when my dad got sick." I could see the tears that were threatening to fall from her crystal blue eyes. The back of my hand found its way to her cheek and she held it there as she continued, "I took a leave from my job to help my mother out, and then..." her voice trailed off.

I knew what came next. Her father died. He died without her ever having the chance to make things right with him. I understood that feeling, knowing what my own grandparents had been through and how my father had felt when his mother had died.

"It's okay," I said, lying down to prop myself up on my elbow, my lips at her ear. "You don't have to tell me anymore."

She smiled at me, a sweet, genuine, almost grateful smile. I leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth, moving my hand from her cheek to under her head, pulling her closer to me. Finally breaking the kiss, I laid flat on my back beside her and held her hand. Thinking of her and her father made me think of her company. She wanted to keep it because she wanted to make him proud of her. She knew she could sell it and have more than enough money to open the design firm she dreamed of, not to mention take care of herself and her mother for the rest of their lives. But part of her was holding on for dear life to the one thing she had left of her father. The one thing that I was trying to take from her. It took all I had not to pick up the phone, call Angela and tell her to go home, take back the offer, leave Hale's Angel in the hands of the one person who had been entrusted with its future.

Shaking all thoughts of the buyout from my mind, I gently shook Rosalie's arm and said, "Hey, is there somewhere on this lake we can get some food?"

She smiled at me, appearing to be thankful for the change of subject. "Yeah," she said, sitting up. "There's this place called Carlos'N Charlie's on the shore over there. We can dock the boat and walk right up to it. It's a little bit touristy but the food's good."

"You navigate," I said, "I'll steer."

**Rosalie**

We had finished lunch and were hanging out at the bar at Carlos'N Charlie's. The weather was perfect, with a slight breeze blowing off Lake Travis. I had been right about all the tourists, but it didn't matter. The laid back atmosphere was just what we both seemed to need, though I still hadn't been able to ask him just exactly what he was running away from. There was a cover band playing eighties music and hundreds of people, college age to our parents' age, all drinking and dancing, laughing and having fun.

I'd left E at the table we'd managed to snag outside and headed to the bar for another round of drinks when I heard a shriek from behind me.

"Oh! My! God! Rose?!" I wheeled around to see an old college friend running toward me. She met me with a huge, rib crushing hug as she squealed my name again. "Rose! Rose Hale! I can't fucking believe it!"

"Wow!" I said, extricating myself from her grasp. It had been years, but I'd know that squeal anywhere. "Jessica Stanley!"

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**End Notes: So, not the longest chapter, but there's some important stuff in there...does anyone remember how ol' Jess plays into this scenario???? I'm already working on the next chapter in my head...review and you might get it by the weekend!! :)**


	12. Confessions

**A/N: First things first...I have to thank a few people....**

**To those of you who have this on your favorites/story alert and have sent me reviews...y'all are awesome!**

**My fabulous hubby, J, for being so cool about the late nights I spend up on the ol' macbook, typing away!**

**My bestie, G, for being the best beta a girl could ask for! You are more creative than you think, woman! :)**

**My RL bestie, L, for being so awesome! We've been friends since 8th grade and knowing that you read this and like it is like, the best compliment ever!! :)**

**Playlist for this chappie...**

**Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis**

**Hold You In My Arms by Ray LaMontagne**

**Reaching by Jason Reeves**

**I own...another new purse and the black satin pj's I'm wearing....**

**Twilight still belongs to SM....*sniff sniff***

**Whew....longest A/N ever! Sorry! Read! Read!**

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Chapter Twelve

Confessions

**Rosalie**

"So, Jess, what brings you to Austin?" I asked my old friend. Jessica and I had been chatting at the bar, waiting on our drinks.

"Well," she grinned, "I'm actually in town with my girlfriend. She had business here and since the boss man was paying anyway, I tagged along."

"Girlfriend?" I asked, "Like _girlfriend _girlfriend?" I had known Jess in college, but did not know she was a lesbian.

She smiled, looking truly happy to tell me about her girl, "Yeah, like _girlfriend._ Her name is Angie. She's great, Rose, you'd love her!"

"I'm sure I would," I said, hoping I would have the chance to meet her one day.

"She's coming later, I think. I have cousins in town so I came here with them," Jess explained. "You look like you've been on a boat today," she said, gesturing to my cover up.

"Yes, I have," I smiled. "I'm here with this guy I'm kinda seeing." The bartender sat my two beers and Jessica's margarita on the bar in front of us. I paid for all three drinks and kicked my head to the side for Jess to follow me.

"Thanks, Rose," she said, taking her drink. "So, do I get to meet this man of yours?"

"Sure, why not," I said. "Come on. We've got a table right over here." We set off in the direction of where I'd left E. It was hard to talk over the band as we got closer to the stage, but Jess held onto the back of my cover up so we wouldn't get separated. I could just see the top of E's head at our table when Jess stopped. I turned to see her talking to what must have been her cousin, who was looking a little frantic waving her hands around as she spoke. Jessica covered her mouth with her hand, and I couldn't tell if she was upset or laughing.

Finally, she turned back to me and called over the crowd, "My cousin Jenny just got a text from her babysitter. Seems her two-year-old son has fallen and busted his head open! She thinks he needs stitches! We've gotta go!"

"Oh no!" I said, "I hope he's okay!"

She waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, he'll be fine! Here," she said, taking out her cell phone from the pocket of her denim shorts, "Give me your number. I'll call you tonight, and we'll get together while I'm here, okay?"

I handed her my beers and took her phone, entering my cell number and saving it before trading back with her. She handed me a card with her number on it before we said goodbye. I set back off toward my table where I found E, elbows on the table behind him, legs stretched out in front of him. I took the rare opportunity of being able to sneak up on him and placed the ice cold beer bottle right in the middle of his chest.

"Fuck!" He yelled as he jumped, hands flying to his chest.

The cackle I let out could not be controlled, and I laughed so hard, I had to sit the bottles down and lean over to hold myself up on the table.

"Sorry, babe," I said through the laughter, "it was just too perfect an opportunity!"

Smiling, dimples showing, he pulled me into his lap, but not before grabbing one of the bottles, which he quickly shoved underneath the back of my cover up, holding it to my skin. I wiggled in his grasp, trying with no luck to wrestle away from him. His hands were huge and his hold unbreakable. Fighting being futile, I took a deep breath and then leaned into him, straddling my legs across his lap, making sure to let the front of my very tiny bikini come into contact with his groin. I felt the bottle being slowly dropped from my skin and out from underneath my cover up. I smiled in spite of myself.

"That was quite unfair," he said, reaching up to take a nip at my ear.

"Oh, is that so?" I asked, moving my hips ever so slightly over his lap.

"Yes," he groaned. "And that little move was just plain unnecessary."

"So, tell me," I whispered in his ear, "what was all that talk about my bikini ending up in a pile on the floor below the deck of the boat?"

*********************************************************

**Emmett**

Two hours later, Rosalie's bikini was indeed in a little pile on the floor, while she and I were in a tangled heap on the tiny bed that was in the small room below deck. Her breathing had almost returned to something close to normal, but my heart was still beating out of my chest.

"Must be something about the water rocking the boat, huh?" She asked, in a husky whisper.

"I'd say that's a fair fucking estimation," I said, smiling, remembering the highlights of the last couple of hours. Rosalie sitting on top of me, riding me. Rosalie's legs thrown up over my shoulders while I slid in and out of her. Rosalie's back arching and her hair falling around her face while we came together. I lifted my arm to notice the faint signs of teeth marks in my right upper muscle.

Rosalie untangled her feet from mine and rolled onto her elbow. "So, before I came back before, I ran into an old friend from college." As she talked, she ran her finger in lazy circles across my chest.

"Really?" I said, my eyes still closed, only half able to listen to a damn word she was saying, especially with her fingernails grazing my still sensitive skin.

"Yeah, she's in town with her girlfriend and want to get together while she's in town," she said.

"Mmmhmm," I said.

"So, I thought I'd call her and maybe we could all meet up tonight?"

I rolled onto my side and buried my face in the hair that had fallen onto her chest. "Sure, doll face, whatever you want."

She wrapped her arm around my waist and kissed me on the top of my head. The gesture, however small and seemingly insignificant, made my whole body swell up with emotions. I wanted to grab her and tell her that as crazy as it sounded I was in love with her. She didn't know who I really was. She wouldn't understand what a huge thing that was for me. Emmett McCarty didn't fall in love. Ever. Until now. I sighed against her skin and snaked my arm around her hip, pulling her closer to me. I was going to make the most of whatever time I had with her.

*****************************************

"So," I said I opened the car door for Rosalie to get in, "what do you want to do tonight?"

"Doesn't matter," Rosalie said. "Dinner, maybe? I'll call Jess in a little while and see what their plans are. See if they want to meet us at the bar or something."

Closing her door and walking to the other side, I had begun to formulate my plan for at least the first part of the evening. Even if I couldn't tell her the truth, about how I felt or who I really was, I could show her.

"Sounds good," I said, sliding into the driver's seat. "How about we order take-out and eat at your place?"

"I think dinner at home sounds perfect," she said, looking at me through the corner of her eye.

"What?" I asked her, feeling like there was something she wasn't saying.

Instead of answering, Rosalie leaned over the console and, taking my face in between her hands, kissed me. Tangling my fingers in her hair, I pulled her as close to me as I could and kissed her back hard. She let one hand fall to my chest and grabbed the front of my shirt as she ran her tongue lightly over my bottom lip. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to pull her into my lap and bury myself inside of her again. The only thing keeping me from doing that was the parking lot full of people who were also coming in off the lake.

"Babe," I said pulling away from her slightly, "As much as I enjoy what you're doing to me here," I glanced down at my lap and the tightening fabric of my khakis, "if you don't stop we're going to scar the children in the parking lot for life."

She laughed against my lips. Giving me one last slow chaste kiss on the lips, she backed away and sat in her seat.

"Fine, then," she said with a smirk, "we don't want to scar any children today, I suppose."

Adjusting myself to a somewhat comfortable position, I started the car and said, "When we get back to your place, though..."

Rosalie flipped her hand in the direction of the road and said, "Less talking, more driving, Cullen."

The sound of my last name falling from her lips made my stomach flip. No one had called me Cullen in ten years. Knowing that, if nothing else, she did know that one crucial piece of information, gave me an odd sense of comfort. Pulling out into the busy street, I knew that, for better or worse, tonight was the night I would have to come clean.

*********************************************************************************

Back at Rosalie's apartment, I sifted through the plethora of take out menus in her kitchen drawer trying to find something for dinner. I grabbed a few possibilities and headed into the bedroom where Rosalie was taking a shower.

"Rosie, baby," I called to her, "you want Chinese, Thai, Italian...?"

The shower curtain slid back just enough for her to stick her head out and she smiled. "Did you just call me Rosie?" She asked.

"Is that okay?" I asked, afraid she was about to throw something at me. "I think it's kinda cute," I said, poking out my bottom lip.

She shook her head and giggled, "No, it's fine, I was just checking...hmmm...pizza?"

I held out the menu from La Bella Pizza and said, "Pizza it is! What do you like?"

Ducking back inside the shower, she called, "Whatever, just no..."

"Please no black olives," I said.

She jerked the shower curtain back again and said, "Oh my god! That's exactly what I was about to say. I hate black olives!"

I grinned at her, realizing I had one more reason to love this girl. "Me, too," I said. "So, everything except black olives?"

She nodded, smiling, and disappeared behind the curtain again. I stood there for a few moments, watching her silhouette in the shower. She was rinsing her hair and I could see the curve of her breasts as her hands reached up into her hair. I imagined the soapy water running down her stomach, along her legs, in between her shoulders....I had to get out of the bathroom before I stripped and jumped into the shower with her.

_Hmmm...shower sex. We haven't done that, yet._

I tossed the menus on the counter and quickly removed my clothes, trying to be as quiet as possible. I walked over to the shower and slowly pulled back the edge of the curtain, sticking just my head in at first. Rose had her eyes closed, letting the hot water run down over her head and over her body. I watched the streams flow down her neck, in between her breasts. My eyes settled on the spot where her legs came together. Rose picked that moment to open her eyes.

She cleared her throat, "Excuse me, Mr. Cullen, do you see something that interests you?"

"As a matter of fact, Ms Hale, I do indeed," I said, climbing into the shower and taking her by the waist.

Pulling me to her, she snaked her hand down my chest before leaving it to rest on my very aroused dick. "Hmm," she said, "I believe I may have found something that interests me as well." Before I knew what hit me, Rose had shoved me up against the shower wall and was bending down to sit on her knees. Her hands went to my balls, squeezing them gently causing me to grab onto the shower curtain. She giggled and stuck out her tongue, looking up at me through her eyelashes. Watching me watching her, she slowly ran her tongue along the length of me, stopping at the tip to lick the slit in my head. She opened her mouth and took all of me into her quickly, sliding her lips to the base and then sucking her way back up again. I couldn't help but watch as she continued to run her hot mouth up and down on me. Taking a fistful of her wet hair in my hands, I guided her to the pace I needed before letting go of her and flattening my hands against the cold wet shower wall. She released me, letting her mouth pop off the end of my dick and rose to her feet.

Not wanting to wait another second to be completely immersed in her body, I turned the tables, pressing her chest into the wall and grabbing her hips forcefully. Peppering her back and shoulders with open mouth kisses, I slid inside her quickly and easily.

Rose moaned as I entered her, arching her back and letting her head fall back. I thrust into her slowly, keeping my grip on her hips tight. She pushed her ass closer to me, needing more so more was what she got. Thrusting faster and harder, I called out her name as I felt her muscles tighten around me. The hot water was beating against my back and Rose's hot body was beating against me from the front. I had to let my mind go for just a moment, wanting to prolong the release that was building inside of me.

Turning her head to the side, her hair sticking to her beautiful face, Rose moaned, "Come with me, cowboy...."

Her words were my undoing. Lifting her hips so she was almost on her tiptoes, I thrust harder and faster until both of our bodies were quivering against each other.

I loosened my grip on her hips and eased her back onto her feet, turning her around to face me. She buried her face in my chest until her breathing had calmed down.

When we had both come down off our high, I led her to stand back under the still hot water. I squeezed some of her body wash into my hands and washed her, taking care to be careful with her still sensitive parts. Once I was finished with her, I reached out to get her a towel and helped her step out of the shower. I washed up quickly and stepped out a few minutes later. Rose was standing in front of the mirror, combing out her long hair, her towel wrapped tightly around her damp body. I fastened my towel to my waist and walked to stand behind her.

Placing my hands on either side of her on the counter, I watched her go through the rituals that women have. She slathered all manner of creams and lotions on her face and upper body. She smiled at me in the mirror several times shaking her head in wonder as I watched.

Finally, she spoke, "What? What are you smiling at? Do my skin care practices strike you as funny?"

"Hardly," I said. "I find it all very....fascinating..." I smiled. "I love this, getting to see you do what you do, though I don't see why you need any of this shit," I gestured to the basket full of products. "I mean, you're beautiful already."

"No," she laughed, "I'm beautiful because of all this shit," she said gesturing as I had to the basket.

I turned her around to face me, kissing her lightly on the neck and looking into her eyes. "No," I said, "you're beautiful in spite of all that shit. Don't you know that?"

She smiled, a quiet sweet smile and dipped her head to rest on my shoulder. Rubbing up and down her back in small circles, I don't know what came over me. "Rose," I whispered, "look at me."

Slowly she lifted her eyes to meet mine. In her eyes I saw all of what Alice must have seen. Rose and I at the family picnic....Rose and I kissing at an altar with all our friends and loved ones there....Rose and I sitting on the sofa, a small, wiggling baby in her arms....

"I need to tell you something," I whispered against her hair.

"Mmmhmm," she said quietly.

"Rose, I think...I mean...shit I didn't want to do this like this, but...."

She pulled her head back to look at me again, "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said, though that was a half-truth. "I just, this is going to sound completely insane considering I've known you for less than a week, but..." I took a deep breath and prayed I wasn't about to make a huge mistake. "...but...I just need you to know...." My resolve was fading, until she leaned up and kissed me.

Parting her lips, but not losing contact, she whispered against my skin, "It's okay...I love you, too."

Letting her words sink in, I kissed her again. It was a kiss unlike any other I had ever had. Even compared to the kisses I'd shared with Rose, this kiss was filed with more emotion and more of my heart than any other kiss in my life.

Slowly pulling away from her just a fraction of an inch I asked her, "So, you don't think I'm crazy that I love you...even though it's so soon?"

"Oh, I think we're plenty crazy," she smiled, "but I don't fucking care."

We kissed for a long time and once I wondered how it was that we still both had our towels attached to our bodies.

_Because, you fucking moron, this isn't about sex. You told her you love her. She loves you, too. Holy hell! She loves you, too!_

Finally breaking our kiss and our embrace, Rose shivered a little.

"You need to get some clothes on," I said.

"You do, too," she said, pushing me away and heading for the bedroom.

I looked at myself in the mirror and felt a surge of happiness I had never felt before. Unfortunately, that feeling was quickly overtaken by a surge of extreme guilt. She loved me, but she didn't know me. Didn't have any god damned clue as to the things I had done. Didn't even know my real fucking name. I would have to tell her. She would be hurt and surely to God she'd be pissed as all hell, but I had to tell her.

_Later, dammit. After we get home tonight. I'll spill it all. She'll hate me and she'll throw me out, no doubt, but I'll tell her. Later._

I shook myself out of my haze and walked into the bedroom to get dressed. Rose was closing her phone.

"That was Jess," she said. "They're going to meet us at Riley's at nine, okay?"

"Sure," I said, reaching for a shirt out of the closet.

"That gives us enough time to change and eat. We can walk along the river if you want," she said, zipping up the dress she had put on.

I finished dressing and walked to her, putting my hands on her shoulders. "That's fine," I said. "And when we get back home tonight...we need to talk, okay?"

She nodded, suddenly looking so beautiful and a little sad at the same time. "I know," she said quietly.

Knowing she thought we were going to have to talk about what would happen when I had to leave town, I felt the guilt rising up again.

I rubbed up and down her arms and tried to smile. "Let's just go out tonight and have some fun, okay? Be happy."

She nodded and smiled back at me before I let her go and she walked into the kitchen, the pizza menu in her hand.

I knew the moment of truth was only hours away. I knew that by the next morning, I'd be on a plane back to Seattle and Rose would be here, hating me.

_But tonight, just for tonight, we'll just be two people in love._

For tonight.

*********************************************************************************

**End Notes: So.....probably not the confession you were hoping for, but it shall come soon enough! Bear with me over the next few chapters, cause it's gonna get ugly for a while! You will be rewarded in the end...I'm already working on it! :)**

**Review! I loooooove it when you review!!! :)**


	13. Busted Take Two

******THIS IS THE VERSION THAT SHOULD HAVE GONE UP TO BEGIN WITH...CONTENT IS THE SAME BUT IT'S BETTER...I DIDN'T REALIZE IT UNTIL LATER AND DECIDED I WANTED THE BETTER VERSION UP...IF YOU'VE READ IT, THERE'S NO MORE INFORMATION, IT JUST READS BETTER! SORRY!******

**A/N: Okay, you see the name of the chapter...I'll be quick so you can read what happens to our boy Emmett...**

**Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for your reviews! They are the reason you're getting this chapter so quick!**

**My girls, G and L, you're awesome! You read, you fix, you gush...I love it and I adore both of you! :)**

**Playlist for this chappie:**

**The beginning: The Nearness of You by Norah Jones**

**Be Careful by Patty Griffin**

**The Middle: Careless Whisper by Seether**

**White Horse by Taylor Swift**

**The End:Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls**

**I own...a pink Ed Hardy cover for my BlackBerry and a beautiful fan from China, brought to me by my sweet stepson**

**I do not, sadly, own Twilight...SM still has dibs...**

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Chapter Thirteen

Busted

**Rosalie**

To say I was walking on cloud nine would have been a terrible understatement.

_He loves me. Holy shit, he loves me! And I love him! This is insane! We've known each other all of five days! How is this even possible?! I have lost my fucking mind!_

Losing my mind or not, I knew that for whatever reason I was completely in love with this man. He was funny, smart, romantic, hot, sexy... Sure we'd known each other less than a week, and we met in a bar, but who the hell cares? Everyone was always telling me that when "it" happens, I'd just know. Well, I knew. I knew with everything that I had, that I was in love with this man. And apparently the feeling was mutual. Of course, he had said that when we got home tonight, we needed to talk. I knew that we would have to have "the talk" sooner rather than later. He was going to have to go back to his real life and his real life was not in Austin. So, tonight, we would figure it out. I would get him to tell me what he's running away from and then we would deal with the rest.

We had finally ordered pizza and had managed to keep our clothes on while we waited for the delivery guy to show up. What we couldn't do was keep away from each other. We were like magnets. If I moved, he moved. If he stood up, I stood up. We held hands until the buzzer sounded. E went down to meet the pizza guy at the front door while I got the beer from the fridge.

I decided over my last slice of pizza that I needed to go ahead and ask him about his real life that was waiting for him back home.

"So," I asked hesitantly, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure, babe," he said over his beer bottle.

"Well, I was just wondering...I mean, you never really did say...what exactly it is that you've run away from. I mean, you're not, like, wanted or anything are you?" I wanted my tone to be as light as possible.

He laughed. "No, not wanted....just, it's kind of a work and family thing," he said.

"Well," I pushed just a little, "will you tell me about it? You've helped me so much with my work and family thing. And I'd like to try and do the same for you...I mean, if you want me to." I was suddenly unsure of the territory I'd walked into.

"It's not that, doll face," he said, putting down his bottle and taking my hand once more. "It's just...complicated...." he sighed before he continued. "Okay, you are not going to believe me when I tell you this, but my sister...she kind of has...this...ability..." He eyed me as if he was waiting for me to say something. I just nodded for him to continue. "She can...sort of..._see _things..." Looking at me again, for some kind of reaction, he hesitated.

"What do you mean _see _things?" I asked. "Like, she's some kind of psychic or something?" Surely that wasn't what he meant.

He looked at me expectantly. "Well," he said, "something like that, yeah."

"You're serious?" He couldn't be serious. Could he?

"I am completely serious," he said. I searched his eyes for some kind of sign that he was about to shout "Gotcha!" but there was nothing but an open, all-out vulnerability in them. "Honest to god, she sometimes sees people's futures. She gets this tranced-out look on her face and her eyes go blank and when she snaps out of it, she's got some insight into some future event."

I couldn't say anything, so I just nodded for him to continue.

"Yeah, so anyway, she's been able to do it since she was about four years old. She saved my little brother from drowning with her first vision. She told him when and where and how he would meet his wife. She knew when and where and how she was going to meet her own husband also. And now, well now she's seen me and...."

I finished his thought for him, "...when and where and how you'll meet yours?" I wasn't sure if I wanted him to corroborate my assumption. What if she had seen it, but she hadn't seen me?

"Pretty much," he said. He looked at me and smiled. "She saw you weeks ago....well sort of...she saw a...picture in her vision..."

"A picture? What kind of picture?" This was getting stranger by the second, but I believed him.

"She saw a rose," he said. "She had this vision of a rose for days and she drew it like a million times. And then one day, instead of a rose she saw a lily."

"Hmm," I said. "That's...interesting."

"Yeah, I know," he agreed with me. "So when we met..."

"And I said my name was Lily," I said, engrossed in his story now.

"Yep," he said. "But then you told me your real name and, well my sister was right again after all, not that I ever should have doubted her because she is never wrong. Never."

"Lily is my middle name," I said. "Well, it's Lilian, but whatever."

He stopped talking. I took his silence as his way of letting me process everything he had just told me.

After a few minutes I said, "So, okay, your sister is some kind of psychic...?" He nodded. "And she saw me, well sort of...?" He nodded again. "And she saw...us...?" He stopped nodding and just waited to see where my rationale was taking me. "And, this is somehow a bad thing?"

He smiled and took a deep breath. "No, it's not that it's a bad thing. It's just...well, it's complicated, that's all."

I didn't see how it was complicated at all. Well, if you overlooked the fact that we really barely knew each other and that we lived in different cities. And quite frankly I was willing to overlook those things.

"So, how does this relate to work exactly?" I realized that he had said it was a work and family thing, and so far he'd only told me the family part.

"That's the complicated part," he said. "You see, I own my own company and my sister, well, she's sort of my right hand there." He clasped my hands between his own and held them tightly. "We kinda had a little...disagreement the other day, about how I wanted to handle something and well...let's just say my sister is not fun to be around when she doesn't get her way."

"Ahh," I said, not completely understanding, but getting the idea. "So, you ran away from your sister?"

He chuckled at my assessment. "I know it sounds silly. A thirty-five-year-old man running away from his little sister, but..." He looked as though he was going to say more but he stopped short.

Deciding we had done enough serious talking for the night, I stood up bringing him with me and said, "Okay, that's enough for now! Let's go!"

"I couldn't agree more," he said, kissing me quickly on the lips and dragging me toward the elevator.

As we stepped onto the sidewalk, headed for Riley's, I thought of something I couldn't believe I'd never asked him to clarify for me. "Hey," I said. "You know what makes this whole 'I love you' thing really weird?"

He raised an eyebrow at me and said, "You mean there's _one _thing that makes this whole 'I love you' thing really weird?"

I slapped him on the shoulder. "Shut up, I'm serious!"

"Me, too!" He said, rubbing his arm, sweetly pretending that I'd actually hurt him.

I stomped my feet and got several steps ahead of him before he caught me by the waist and whispered into my neck, "I'm sorry, babe, what were you going to say?"

Trying to keep myself upright with his feet on either side of my own, I said, "I don't actually know where it is that you live. I mean, in your real life."

"Hmmm," he said, his hands guiding my hips along the walkway and his face still buried in my neck. "Seattle," he said in barely a whisper, "I live in Seattle."

Well, that was weirder than not knowing. I wondered to myself if he'd ever heard of these McCarty people that were trying to buy my father's company from me.

_Seattle is a city of millions, Rosalie. Don't be silly._

Bringing his hands to my side, we walked the rest of the way to Riley's in relative silence.

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**Emmet**

I had given myself just enough rope to hang myself, and Rose didn't even know it. Surely to God, she was smart enough to start putting the pieces together if she thought about it long enough.

_Jesus, man! Are you trying to make her figure it out on her own?_

Maybe I was. Maybe the sadist inside of me wanted her to figure it out. Or maybe that was the coward in me. If she figured it out, all I would have to do was admit she was right. I wouldn't have to say the actual words myself.

_You're chicken shit, Emmett. You. Are. A. Fucking. Pussy._

True enough.

By the time we reached Riley's, I had decided that the chips were going to fall where they fell and I just had to let them. Maybe if she did think about it long enough then when I told her the truth, maybe the blow wouldn't be as disastrous.

_Who are you kidding, dumb ass. She's still going to cut your nuts off when she finds out, no matter how she finds out. Shut up! Alice is never wrong so it has to work out, right? Right?_

_************************************************_

Riley's was packed when we got there, but somehow 'our' booth remained empty. Rose ran to snag our table while I went to the bar to order drinks. I decided on a glass of Macallan and a beer for us both. When I slid into the booth next to Rose, she said she'd just texted her friend and that she would be arriving in a few minutes.

I took advantage of the moments we had alone, hidden away in our booth. This would forever be our booth. Forever be the place where my entire life had changed.

I felt the phone in my pants pocket vibrate. Alice. She was the only one besides Rose who had the number. I didn't want to deal with Alice at that moment, but I had a funny feeling. I knew I had made it clear that I needed space so she wouldn't be texting unless it was really important. Well, either that or there was a sale on Armani somewhere because she always thought I needed new clothes.

Pulling out the phone and flipping it open, I said, "My sister."

Rose nodded her head while she took a sip of her Scotch. I opened my text messages.

_Whatever you're doing wherever you are...get out now. No clear vision but a terrible feeling. something is about to go horribly wrong._

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach as I typed back.

_I need more than that, Al. How bad?_

I hit send and waited with the phone open. I smiled a nervous smile at Rose and lied that all was well. My phone shook and I hit the button to open the text.

_BAD. as in rose keeps disappearing BAD._

I typed a quick "Thanks for the warning" and shut the phone, putting it back in my pocket. I drank down my Scotch in one gulp and then took a pull on my beer.

_Well, I guess the fucking chips are about to fall._

I took another drink, kissed Rose on the cheek and waited for all hell to break loose.

*********************************************************************************

**Rosalie**

Something was off. E got a text from his sister and whatever she said seemed to knock him off kilter somehow. I wondered if she'd had a vision or whatever, but he didn't offer to tell me so I didn't ask. Sitting in our booth, everything felt just fine. It was like we were insulated from the real world there. This was the place it all began. I smiled at the memory of that first night and snuggled myself into his side. Wrapping my arm around his and taking his hand in mine, I rested my head on his shoulder.

A few minutes later, my phone started buzzing on the table. I sat up and reached for it, seeing a text from Jess.

_We're here. Where are you?_

"That was Jess. They're here," I told E as I typed back our location.

"Cool," he said. "I'll go get some more drinks. Beer okay, you think?"

"Sure," I said. "Two. Her girlfriend Angie is with her."

He stood up and took a couple of steps toward the bar. Then he stopped, turned his head slightly back to me, a puzzled look on his face. He shook his head as if to say "Nevermind" and then went off after our beers.

I saw Jess as she rounded the corner and sat up on my knees to wave her over.

"Hey, Jess!" I called to her.

"Hey!" She said as she slid into the opposite side of the booth. "Rosalie, this is..."

"Angela Weber?!" I said, shocked. "Wow!"

"Well, hello, Ms Hale," Angela said taking her seat. "When Jess said we were meeting her friend Rose, I guess I just didn't put two and two together. It's good to see you again."

"Yes, it is! What a small world! Will Alice be joining us as well?" I don't know why I asked, but in that moment I had the thought that E would really like Alice.

"No, she's dragged her poor sister-in-law shopping again today!" Angela laughed.

Imagining Alice literally dragging Bella from store to store was amusing, but I felt sorry for Bella for the hours of what I was sure she considered torture she had endured.

"Okay," Jess spoke up, "Who wants to tell me what I'm missing here?"

"Oh," Angela said, "Sorry. This is 'our Ms Hale'." Angela used air quotes around my name. A look of understanding crossed Jess' face and Angela turned to me. "You see, that's what Alice called you, 'our Ms Hale' before we got here and met you. It's just...well, you met Alice!"

"So," Jess said, looking around, "where is this fine hunk of man you were telling me about earlier?"

I couldn't help the smile that beamed across my face when she mentioned my man. I looked around toward the bar. "He's getting us all a beer. I hope that's okay."

"Beer is good," Jess said.

Angela nodded as well, "So, tell us about him. He's hot, no?"

I could feel the slight blush rise in my cheeks. "Um, yeah," I said. "His name is E, well, I guess his name is actually Eddie, but I call him E. He's tall and has this killer smile with these dimples and the most amazing body I've ever seen on a human and he's..." I caught a glimpse of him standing at the bar. "...he's standing right over there. The one in the khakis and the blue shirt," I said pointing at him.

"Ahh," Jess said, "nice ass."

I smiled and looked at Angela when I thought I heard her say something like, "familiar." I continued to gush to Jess about the amazing whirlwind that was E and me, noticing that Angela seemed to watching him with some interest. I was telling Jess about the trip we'd taken to the lake that day when Angela stood up suddenly, shaking the table on her way up.

"I'm sorry, I just...I need to use the ladies' room. I'll be right back." She was out of the booth and walking away as she finished her sentence.

Jess and I were busy catching up with one another. I was telling her all about living in Atlanta and my dad and the business. She was telling me how she'd moved to Seattle after she met Angela in grad school. My phone buzzed on the table in front of me and I picked it up to see a text from E.

I looked around for him while I opened it.

_Sorry, babe. Sis won't leave me alone. stepped out back to call her. be right back._

"That was E," I told Jess. "He's stepped outside to call his sister. He'll be right in."

"Cool," she said. "I wonder what's keeping Angie?"

I didn't think much of Angela's absence, there was always a line for the ladies' room. But after a few minutes, we both began to wonder where our significant others had disappeared to. I sweet-talked the bartender into letting us put a reserved sign on our table so we could go look for them.

We both headed for the back of the bar, Jess for the ladies' room and me for the back door. When we stepped into the hallway, it was empty except for two people arguing in the shadow under the Exit sign.

"Oh," I said, "There he is."

At the same time Jess said, "There she is."

We looked at each other for a strange moment before Jess spoke again. "That's weird," she said, leaning forward a little as if she were trying to get a better view.

I took a few tentative steps towards them and heard Angela's voice, "Have you lost your fucking mind?!"

"Listen, Weber, you don't understand," he said back to her.

I was surprised and a little thrown off to realize that the two people standing in the near dark were E and Angela.

"You're god damned right I don't understand! Why don't you try explaining it to me again?!" Angela shouted.

Jess had caught up to me and was listening as intently as I was, with an odd look on her face. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong.

Taking one step closer, but not into the light, I heard Angela again. "Emmett McCarty, you are a damned fool!"

_**What **__did she just call him? No. There's no fucking way she just called him....Emmett?!_

Jess still looked perplexed as I stepped closer, into the light, and E picked his head up enough to see me. He looked as though he had been kicked in the gut or someone had just run over his dog. Angela slowly turned around to face me.

Jess followed me and when she got close enough said, "Okay, I'm confused now. Mr. McCarty? What are you doing here?"

She said it, too. They had both just called him McCarty. But that wasn't possible. This was Eddie. Eddie Cullen. He was the man I loved and he couldn't be.... I leaned up against the wall and flattened my hands against it to keep from falling down. Shaking my head back and forth, I though to myself...

_This is not happening. This. Is. NOT. Happening._

"Rose, baby," I heard the faint sound of his voice in my ear and I thought I felt his hand on my shoulder.

I shook him off and held up my hand. I looked at Jess and then to Angela who was looking somewhere between extremely apologetic and infuriated. I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Rose, please." He was talking again. "Rose, look at me, baby, I can explain." He was touching me again.

I saw Angela walk past me and take Jess by the hand. "Let's go," she said. Turning back to me, she leaned in and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Rosalie." She glared up at _him_ and said, "I'm going back to the hotel. We're _not_ finished." Then she and Jess were gone.

I don't know how long we stood there in silence. The silence between us had until now been comforting and relaxing. Now, though, it was a deafening silence. So many thoughts were running through my head and the room was swaying a little bit.

_Emmett McCarty. This man, this man that I thought I loved, is Emmett fucking McCarty. Bastard! Was this all the plan? Get 'our Ms Hale' into bed so we can steal her company away from her? But Alice and Bella and...they would never...would they?_

I thought back to the first meeting, the one I'd run out on.

_Was he there? Was he sitting at the table with Peter and Charlotte waiting for me? Had he known that first night here at Riley's? Had he set me up from the very beginning?_

"Rose, please, look at me," he whispered.

Slowly, I raised my head up to look at him. His eyes were pleading and for a split second, I felt a pang of the love I had declared only hours before. Feelings of love were quickly replaced with ones of pure, unadulterated anger.

I held up my hand again, "Do. Not. Say. One. Fucking. Word."

He took a step back from me and hung his head, rubbing his temples. I reached for him, swatting his hands away as he tried to take my hand. I gave him a look that said "touch me and die" before reaching into the back pocket of his khakis and feeling for his wallet. He sighed as I took it in my hand and opened it. His Washington state driver's license was tucked behind the clear pocket. There he was, smiling back at me from that damn DMV photo. 'Emmett McCarty' typed neatly underneath. I let the wallet fall from my hands as I lurched past him to the back door.

Spinning around to face him, he had picked up his wallet and taken a step towards the door. "No!" I shouted, "You stay the hell away from me!"

"Rose," he said.

"No! Don't call me that! Don't! Just..." I couldn't say anything else. I ran out the back door and kept running. I hoped he wouldn't follow me. I hoped if he had any sense of self preservation he would listen to it and just leave me the fuck alone.

I was halfway back to my apartment when I realized that my purse and my phone were still on the table at Riley's. I also realized that _he _had my keys. I couldn't even get in my own house. When I reached my building, I was relieved to see the lights on in my neighbor's apartment. I buzzed her, telling her I'd forgotten my purse somewhere and she let me in.

When I stepped inside my apartment, I ran around the place furiously grabbing up any trace he'd left there. His toothbrush, his razor, his clothes. I found his bag and shoved all of his belongings into it. Walking out onto my balcony, I dropped the bag onto the sidewalk below. Staring at the giant brown pillows he had bought, the very ones we'd made love on not twenty four hours before, I jerked them off the floor and flung them out onto the street. I stripped the sheets off the bed and grabbed the towels from the bathroom, tossing them into the washing machine. I walked through my home one more time, looking for anything I might have missed. Once I was sure that any physical trace of Emmett McCarty- God, I still couldn't believe it- was either swimming in bleach or sitting in a heap on the street below my window, I locked the balcony door and slid down the wall.

I felt the tears start to fall. Waves of sadness, anger and pain taking over my body, I let the sobs overcome me, wracking my body and slowly making me numb.

*********************************************************************************

**Emmett**

What were the odds? What were the chances? Fucking Jessica Stanley would be the one to bring me down. When I stood up to go get drinks and Rose had said "her girlfriend Angie" I knew right then that Alice had been right, I just couldn't put my finger on why. Jess. Angie. I was smarter than that. I should have figured it out and gotten us both the hell out of there. But it was too late now. Angela had seen me and cornered me at the bar.

"Emmett McCarty," she said from behind me. I could hear the disdain in her voice and I knew I was busted.

Without turning around, I said, "I won't do this out here, Weber." I tried to sound as forceful as I could, while my insides felt like they were turning to mush.

"Fine," she barked, "I'm going to the ladies' room. That hallway is pretty dark. I'll be waiting by the back door. You have two minutes." She stalked away towards the table and then down the back hall.

Heading for where Angela was waiting for me, I sent Rose a text saying I needed to step out to call my sister. Just as I flipped the phone closed, I came face to face with Angela again.

"Would you care to explain to me why Jessica's old college friend, who just happens to be Rosalie fucking Hale, thinks your name is Eddie?" Angela was a tall woman and almost came eye to eye with me without trying.

"Look, Weber, this is none of your business really. Why don't you and Stanley make up some excuse and just get the hell out of here. Let me handle this." I knew that would never happen, but I had to try.

"Yeah, right!" She yelled at me.

"Hey, keep your voice down," I said, pulling her closer to the back door and looking over her shoulder.

"You know, I wondered why you'd called me to come down here and handle this deal. And Alice said something was up, but honestly, Emmett..." she shook her head at me, and I felt like a 5-year-old who was getting reprimanded by his mother. "She doesn't have any idea who you are, does she? No, of course she doesn't. She called you Eddie for Christ's sake. What have you done exactly?"

"Look, Weber, I'm going to tell you this and then you are going to go get Stanley and get the fuck out of here, got it?" I eyed her, hoping she would agree. She stared at me, daggers coming out of her eyes. "I met her before I knew who she was. I thought it'd be a one time thing so I didn't use my real name. She didn't use hers either, by the way. But in any case, I saw her again the next night and she came clean about her real name and I freaked, okay? Big, bad Mr. World's Most Eligible Dickhead freaked out like a seventeen-year-old boy! I didn't think it would be such a big deal until..." I wasn't going to finish. I was not about to stand in the darkened back hallway of a bar and spill my guts to Angela Weber of all people.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?!" She said, trying not to yell at me.

"Listen, Weber you don't understand," I said.

"You're god damned right I don't understand! Why don't you try explaining it to me again?!" She shouted.

"You know this really isn't any of your business," I tried again, in vain to get her to drop it and leave.

"Emmett McCarty, you are a damned fool!" She yelled at me, not trying to be quiet any longer.

I saw movement in the hallway and at first I thought it was just someone walking to the restroom. That's when I saw her. Rose stepped into the light in the middle of the hall, Jessica at her side looking as confused as ever. I thought Jessica may have said something, but I couldn't be sure. The look on Rose's face was all I could see, and all the sound faded from around me.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She wasn't supposed to find out like this. What do I do? God help me, what do I do?_

The rest happened in a blur. I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't let me get near her. Angela and Jessica started to leave but not before Angela let me know that she was headed back to the hotel and wasn't finished with me yet. Rose ran out the back door, screaming at me to stay the hell away from her.

As much as I wanted to follow her, as much as I wished she would let me hold her and make some attempt to explain myself and my stupidity, I knew she needed space. She needed to wrap her brain around the information she had learned and come to grips with the way she had learned it. My back against the wall, I slid to sit on the cold floor. I hung my head in my hands and wondered what in the hell I was supposed to do now.

I'm not sure how much time passed, but I eventually got back on my feet. Putting my hands in my pocket, I realized I had Rose's keys with me. I walked back out to our booth and saw her cell phone and her purse sitting where she had left them on the table to come look for me. I picked them up put her phone in my pocket with her keys. I would drop them off at her apartment when I went to get my stuff, which I was sure would be in a pile at the bottom of the elevator shaft if not in the street.

Opening the door and stepping out into the breezy late night air, I knew where I had to go. I had to see Alice.

*************************************************************************************

**End Notes: So there you have it! Our boy got busted, indeed! I've told you over and over that reviews make the chapters flow so tell me what you think!!!!! :)**


	14. Drinking Buddies

**A/N: There's a new POV in here for you, sweeites!!**

**Thanks, as usual, to my girls, G and L, for reading and keeping my commas in check! :)**

**I'll tell you that these next couple of chappies are a teensy bit angsty, but nothing too major...stick with me... :)**

**Playlist:**

**Come Back to Me by David Cook**

**Gotta Figure This Out by Erin McCarley**

**I own...some new over priced hair products and a fridge full of Italian leftovers...**

**I do not own...Twilight or any of the characters...SM still has these hotties! :)**

***************************************************************************************************

Chapter Fourteen

NAME

**Emmett**

I walked the streets back to the Four Seasons and found my way up to Alice's room. She opened the door as I rounded the corner and flung herself into my arms.

"Oh, Emmett," she sighed against my chest.

I held onto her tighter than I think I ever had. Holding onto my waist, as though she were literally keeping me on my feet, Alice walked with me into the hotel room and sat down on the sofa beside me.

"Tell me what happened," she said, rubbing my back with her tiny hand. "Please."

Emptying my pockets of Rose's keys and cell phone and my own cell phone, I sat them down on the coffee table with Rose's purse and sighed. I fell back against the sofa and said, "Would you believe me if I told you that what happened was Jessica Stanley?"

Alice looked at me, sympathy softening her bright blue-green eyes. "Jessica? I don't understand. I told you, I didn't see anything, it was just a feeling."

"Well it would seem that Stanley went to Texas A&M with Rose...Jessica came down to Austin with Angela. She ran into Rose today while we were out and they decided to meet up tonight." I still couldn't believe how it had all happened.

"Angela said they were going out. I almost dragged Bella and went with them," Alice said.

"Well that would have been just the perfect fucking tea party, wouldn't it?" I said, closing my eyes. I scrubbed my hands over my face and continued. "So, Jessica and Angela show up and Angela saw me at the bar. We were arguing in the back hallway and Rose and Jessica came looking for us and..."

"...and she saw you, or worse, she heard you fighting?"

"Yep," I said. "She heard Angela call me Emmett and then...well...let's just say I half expect there's a bon fire with all my stuff being used for kindling going on at her place right about now."

"She freaked out, huh?" Alice asked.

"You could say that. I can't be certain but I think her words were something like 'Do. Not. Say. One. Fucking. Word.' right before she told me to stay the hell away from her and she ran out the back door."

"Oh, Emmett," she said. "I'm so sorry. I really am. If I'd seen it, I would have...well, I didn't know you were still in Austin so I wasn't really looking, you know?" She was apologizing. I had fucked this up, not her, but here she was, feeling somehow responsible because of visions she never asked for.

"Alice, this is _so _not your fault," I said, tousling her hair. "This is all on me, kid. I should have told her who I was as soon as she told me who she was. I fucked this up, not you. Do you hear me?" She smiled a half smile and nodded. Alice took on a lot of responsibility for her visions. Even though we all knew that she didn't control them and she certainly had no control over the events in them, she still never failed to apologize when something changed in them.

"So," she asked, perking up a bit, "how do you plan to fix it?"

"Good fucking question, Alice. Good fucking question."

**********************************************************

The first course of action was to go find Edward and head to the bar. I needed alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. I was feeling too much, more than I had ever felt about anything or anybody in my entire life. I needed to get knee-walking, shit-faced, falling down the stairs, can't remember your own mother's name, pissing drunk. And there's no one better to get that kind of drunk with than your little brother.

I knocked on the door to Edward and Bella's suite and was met with Bella's brown eyes, looking sad and full of pity.

"God, Bella, please, if you love me at all, do _not_ say you're sorry right now, please."

"Okay, Em," she smiled at me. "Come in. Edward is in the shower."

I sat in a chair in the living room and asked her, "So, I guess you know everything, huh?"

"Well, not everything, but yeah, I know," she said, the pitiful look back on her face.

"So, once again, I earn all those terrible names people call me. Dickhead. Asshole. Prick. Ruthless. Heartless..." I was prepared to keep going, but Bella stopped me.

"Stop it, Emmett!" She said as forcefully as Bella could ever say anything. "I mean it. You are none of those things. None. You are sweet and kind and caring. And despite your mistakes here, you gave that girl your heart. That has to count for something."

"Bella," I said, "you're sweet and you know I love you, but I don't think it matters anymore. She hates me. She should hate me. I lied to her." I took a deep breath and said, "I don't want to talk about it right now, Bella. I just Edward to get his ass out of the shower and go downstairs and get fucking drunk." I closed my eyes and let my head fall forward.

I heard Bella stand up and walk to me. She placed a well-meaning kiss on the back of my head and said, "I'll go get Edward."

I heard what sounded like Bella stumbling, probably on her own two feet and couldn't help the small smile that found its way onto my face. With my eyes closed, all I could see was Rose's face in that damn hallway. She looked so hurt, so angry, so betrayed. She had been betrayed. I had betrayed her in the worst possible way. I had been honest with her about so many things, but now she had no reason to believe a single fucking word that had ever come out of my fucking mouth. I opened my eyes to keep from seeing that look in her eyes any longer.

"Hey, Em," I heard Edward say from his bedroom doorway.

"Hey, man," I sighed.

"So, Bella tells me we're going to get drunk?" Edward walked over to the chair and stood over me. I just nodded. "Well, then get your sorry ass up and let's go get drunk." Edward held out his hand to me and yanked me up off the chair.

Bella met us at the door and put her hand on my shoulder. "I'm going to bed. You boys don't get into any trouble, okay?"

"Don't worry, love," Edward told her.

I walked out into the hall. Edward and Bella were bound to get a little sweet and romantic because that's what they did any time they said goodbye. I heard their muffled voices from inside and figured Bella was giving Edward some kind of instructions about keeping me from doing anything really stupid.

_No worries, Bells. I've done enough stupid for one lifetime._

*********************************************************************************

**Edward**

Two hours after Emmett appeared in my hotel room, we were at the Four Seasons bar. Emmett was well on his way to being drunker than I'd ever seen him in my life and I was nursing a beer. One of us had to stay somewhat sane, and it wasn't going to be Emmett.

"You know the worst part?" He asked me, his head hung down and his eyes closed, as they had been for most of the night.

"What?"

"The worst part is...hell, who am I kidding, the whole god damned thing is the worst part...." His words were starting to slur a little and he was starting to repeat himself. "No, the worst part is...she's never gonna let me touch her again....Man, did I tell you how soft her skin is? How good she smells?"

He had told me these things numerous times already. "You did," I said.

"And when she kissed me, Edward...God, now I know why you got all sappy and shit when you first got together with Bella....I'm sorry I gave you shit about that, man...I just didn't understand..." His voice trailed off again.

"I know, Em..." All I could do at that point was agree with him, whatever he said.

Emmett was quiet for a long time, finishing his drink and asking for another one. I complied, as any decent brother would, and waited for him to talk again.

"Edward," he said, looking up at me.

"Emmett," I said, looking away from him for the first time, focusing instead on the peeling label on my beer bottle.

"What do I do?" He asked. His pleading voice was barely above a whisper. I looked back at him. In that moment, he looked like anything but my big, strong older brother. He looked...broken.

"Do you really want to know what I think, Em?" I knew what I wanted to say, but didn't know if he was in any condition to hear it yet. He nodded so I continued. "Well, first thing is, you've got to give her some space and time. She's been through a lot lately and this just pulled the rug out from under her whole world. She had to have been feeling a little unsure anyway, what with how fast this whole thing between you two happened. And now she's got to be wondering on some level if it was all just a set up." He started to say something, but I held up my hand for him to wait. "Look, I know you didn't set her up. But put yourself in her shoes for a minute, okay? She might believe you didn't when she's had time to cool off, but you know it was her first thought when she saw you with Angela tonight."

"Edward," he said, "I appreciate the whole voice of reason thing you got going on here, but I need you to tell me what to do now, other than leave her alone. Because that is not an option. I can't just leave her, man, I love her..."

And there it was. Emmett was honestly, completely, totally, head over heels in love with Rose. I had never heard Emmett say he loved any woman outside of the family. Hell, I had never known Emmett to even date any woman for more than five minutes. And yet, there he was, staring into a glass, looking as lost as I'd ever seen him, begging me to help him hold onto Rose...because he loved her.

"Listen, Emmett, I can't give you some magical answer," I said. "I don't know her. I don't know what it's going to take for her to even talk to you again, much less let you back into her life. But I can say this...as much as you don't want to do it, you have to let her figure this out. If she's going to come back to you, it has to be on her terms."

"I have to apologize, Edward," he said, making his way to stand up. "I have to go over there and just tell her how sorry I am....I just...I have to..."

"Emmett, you can't go over there. Not like this," I said as he swayed a little getting to his feet. "You're fucking drunk and that's not how you want her to see you."

"My stuff," he mumbled, "All my shit is still at her place. It's probably in the trash, but...she has to let me in to get my stuff, right?"

"Emmett," I said, taking him by the arm and leading him back into the lobby toward the elevator. "You are not going over there tonight. You're going upstairs to bed. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

We got into the elevator and Emmett pulled his phone from his pocket. He opened it and punched in the speed dial before I could stop him. I knew it didn't matter, there was no way Rose would pick up.

"Rose," I heard him say, obviously to her voice mail, "Baby, please, just talk to me. I need to explain. It isn't what you think, I fucking swear it. Please, doll face, just talk to me..."

Reaching over his shoulder, I took the phone easily from his hand and flipped it closed. "How many messages have you left her?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I stopped counting."

Alice was waiting up for us when we got to Emmett's suite.

"Hey," she said, getting up from the sofa and turning off the television.

"Hey, Al," I said.

Emmett waved to her and headed for the bedroom. When he got to the door, he turned to me. "Edward, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure," I said.

"Will you go over there? To Rose's place? Get my shit?" His voice was quiet. He was starting to sober up a little.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I'll go with you tomorrow if you want."

"No," he said, sounding defeated. "You were right about letting her have some space. But I want to get my shit out of her place. I know she doesn't want it there....Please..."

"Of course," I said.

Emmett told me Rose's address and went to bed.

"Are you really going over there?" Alice asked. "It's pretty late."

"I know," I said, glancing at my watch. It was after midnight. "But after what happened tonight, I would bet that Rose is still awake. I'll get her number off Emmett's phone and call her first. Maybe she'll talk to me."

Alice closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating, trying to see what Rose would do if I called. She got that peaceful look on her face for a second and then it was gone. She opened her eyes and looked at me. "Yeah, I think she'll at least answer the phone," she said.

"Thanks, Alice," I said, kissing her on the cheek. "Will you please let Bella know where I am?"

I set off for Rose's apartment building. I had decided not to call her until I was out in front of her building, hoping that would make her more inclined to let me in. When I got out of the cab, I saw a pile on the sidewalk under what I assumed was Rose's window. Emmett's duffle bag, stuffed with all of his clothes and things were in a heap under three huge brown bean bag-like pillows. I could have just told the cab driver to wait while I loaded Emmett's belongings into the cab, but something made me take my phone and dial Rose's number anyway.

*********************************************************************************

**Rosalie**

Fifteen messages. Emmett had left me fifteen messages in two hours. I hadn't listened to any of them. I wasn't in the mood to hear anything that lying son of a bitch had to say. He could apologize six ways to Sunday, but I didn't want to hear any of it. He had lied to me about the most basic thing, how could I believe anything else he had ever said to me, or anything he had to say now?

I heard my phone ring once again and almost threw it across the room. I happened to look at the caller ID and for once it wasn't Emmett. It was a number I didn't know.

"Hello?" I said, trying to sound annoyed but sounding more like a mouse instead.

"Rose?" It was a man. His voice was vaguely familiar.

"Who is this?"

"Rose, this Edward Cullen, we met at Sullivan's last week? I'm Bella's husband."

_Did he really just say his name is fucking Edward Cullen?!_

"Hmm, Edward Cullen? That seems to be a popular name these days," I said angrily.

"I know," he said sounding apologetic, "but it really is my name. And I know you're upset and pissed off and you have every right to be. What Emmett did was wrong and..."

I cut him off, "What do you want?"

"Well," he said, "I came by to get his things."

"All of his shit is sitting in a pile on the street in front of my apartment," I snapped.

"I can see that," he said, a small chuckle in his voice.

_What? He's outside? _

I walked to the balcony and opened the doors, stepping out and looking down onto the street. There he was, looking up at me. He waved.

"Hi," he said into the phone.

"Look, Edward, I don't know what you want from me, but I am seriously not in the fucking mood for this right now."

"I know," he said. "But, if you would just let me come in for a minute, or you can come down, just let me talk to you for five minutes. Please."

I took a deep breath and let it back out. "Fine," I said. "I'll come down." I flipped my phone closed and headed to the elevator.

I found Edward on the sidewalk, zipping up Emmett's duffle bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"You have five minutes," I said.

"Thank you, Rose," he said. "Listen, I know you don't want to hear this right now, but you need to know that Emmett is a wreck. Really. I just left him, completely wasted drunk at the hotel with Alice."

"Poor girl," I said. "I'll bet that wasn't in her job description."

"No," he said, "but it's what you do for family."

_Did he just say family? Jesus! _

I knew Edward was Alice's brother, but I obviously hadn't put all the pieces together yet.

"Family?" I said,

He nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Emmett is our brother."

"But your name," I said.

"Cullen," he said. "That's our last name. McCarty is Emmett's middle name. He started using it when he opened his business."

"Why?" I didn't know why I cared, but I wanted to know.

"Well," Edward said. "That's a story for Emmett to tell you if you'll ever let him."

"Not fucking likely," I said under my breath.

"I know," he said, having heard me. "I just wanted to give you some more information. Maybe you'll look into it and maybe it will help explain why Emmett did what he did. Not that I think what he did was right, and neither does he, but...well, if you'll just listen to me for a minute..." He raised his eyebrows at me, asking for permission to continue. I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. "Okay, I want you to take this," he held out a slip of paper to me. On it were three names. "The first two names on that are the names of our grandparents. My father's parents. Did Emmett tell you about Alice and what she can...do?"

I thought for a moment. "Yes," I said finally.

"Well, our father's mother had the same gift. Only she wasn't quite as...judicious in her use of her gift..." I must have looked as lost as I felt. Edward shook his head a little. "Look, just check it out, okay? And when you're reading about what happened to my grandparents, remember Alice's gift. I know that doesn't make sense to you yet, but it will."

"Nothing makes sense to me right now, Edward," I admitted.

"I know that," he said. I wondered if he was always so reassuring. Alice said he was a doctor, right? He obviously had a fabulous bedside manner. I had been pissed as hell when he arrived, but was somehow feeling better, though I was still confused.

"You should go," I said. I folded the slip of paper and put it in my pocket. "Bella will be worried."

Edward smiled at me, and I immediately saw the family resemblance. The flash of Emmett in Edward's face made my stomach flip and my heart ache.

"Rose," he said, "Can I just say two more things please?"

"Sure," I said.

"You should know that he didn't set you up. Meeting you...was truly a twist of fate....And in our family, we take that more seriously than most..."

"He still lied," I said quietly.

"He did," he acknowledged. "But it wasn't because he wanted to deceive you. He's just..." Edward chuckled again, "He's just an idiot."

"I'll give you that one," I said, finding myself smiling a little.

"And Alice and Bella and even me," he said, "we tried to...well, if you believe anything, please believe that we weren't all in some evil plot against you...okay?"

I did believe him that much. Deep down, I knew that Alice and Bella would never do that to someone, and I could tell from talking to him that neither would Edward. The truth was, I didn't think Emmett was capable of doing that either, not really.

"So, what's the other thing?" I asked.

"Oh," he said. "Emmett won't be leaving you a million messages anymore either. I told him that whatever happens now has to be on your terms."

"Thank you, Edward," I said, truly grateful.

"You're welcome," he said. "I guess that's it. We'll leave you alone now, Rose. Until or unless you decide otherwise. I promise."

Edward said goodbye and started off on foot back toward his hotel. I watched him catch a cab a block up the street before heading back inside.

My anger had subsided somewhat after talking to Edward. I decided that I would email Alice and let her know that I didn't blame her for anything that Emmett had done and would ask her to tell Bella the same. I put the slip of paper on the desk next to my laptop, not ready to find out what Edward had wanted me to know. After I emailed Alice, I listened to all fifteen of Emmett's messages, deleting them as I went.

I took a shower and put on my pajamas. Climbing into bed, I stepped on something. Kneeling down to pick up the offending item, I laid my fingers on two buttons. Buttons off one of Emmett's shirt I had ripped apart. Laying down, I clutched the buttons with the tiny Armani insignia on them in my hands and tried to sleep.

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**End Notes: Aww...she may not want to, but Rose misses her some Emmett!**

**Reviews are better than lemons...well, okay, maybe not better, but close! :)**


	15. Brothers, Bartenders and Billiards

**A/N: Okay, my pretties...first things first...**

**Miss Book, a reader and awesome reviewer, and I struck up a li'l deal...She wanted more drunken Emmett craziness- you know, a little more humor. So, she has given me some awesome ideas and I am putting some, possibly all, into the story...I've snuck the first one in here, though it won't come to complete fruition until next chapter. Miss Book, you are a riot, girl! Thanks for putting some much needed fun into our little tale...**

**My girls, G and L, read and approved- poor G had to wait for her family to leave :( and L made her sleepy husband stay at my house "just two more pages" so she could finish...thanks y'all! :)**

**My hubby rocks my world...and by that I mean he doesn't bitch when I ask to stay up waaaay later than him so I can finish a chapter! Thanks, babe! :)**

**I own...a bucket full of craft paint and two new disco light balls for the kids' rooms...**

**I do not...nor will I ever be so lucky as to own Twilight, or any of its characters....SM kinda wants to keep those, damn it!**

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Chapter Fifteen

Drunk

**Alice**

I sat in the big comfy chair in the corner of Emmett's bedroom, watching him sleep off the night before. He slept like a rock normally, but this night his sleep was fitful. He tossed and turned, surprising considering how drunk he was when he'd gone to sleep. Every hour or so I would hear a soft "Rose" escape his lips. His words were usually accompanied by his hands reaching out and grabbing the sheets around him.

Edward had come to see me when he returned from Rose's apartment.

He had given me Emmett's duffle bag and I said, "At least she didn't burn them."

"Hey," he said, "at least she let me talk to her for a minute, too."

"What did you say to her?"

"I just told her that he didn't set her up and that even though he's a complete idiot for not telling her the truth from the beginning, he's a total mess now because of it," he told me.

"She probably hates me, too," I sighed. I hated to think of Rose hating me. "Not that I could blame her...I kept this from her, too."

"She doesn't blame you, Alice. I think she knows this is all on Emmett," he assured me. "I also gave her some...information..."

"What kind of information, Edward?" My brother was never keen on getting too involved in other people's lives, so I was especially interested in just what he had told Rosalie.

He explained, "Well, I told her about Grandma Cullen having your gift and then I gave her their names, Grandma and Grandpa Cullen, and told her to look them up. I told her to keep your gift in mind when she read about what happened. I thought if she reads about it for herself, with the right extra information, she might understand Emmett's desire to keep his real name a secret."

"Of course, that doesn't explain why he didn't tell her he was Emmett McCarty, but I guess it could be a good start," I said.

Edward and I said goodnight and he went back to his room, leaving me to stay with Emmett.

A little while later, I heard my phone beep signaling an email. I grabbed my BlackBerry and opened the email. It was from Rosalie.

_Alice,_

_I just want you to know that I don't blame you for any of this. Please tell Bella that I'm not angry with her either. I can't imagine how awkward the last few days have been for you. I won't say I'm not angry, because I am, and so much more. But it was Emmett who lied to me. After talking to Edward tonight, I know you probably did all you could to get Emmett to tell me the truth. _

_Please tell Emmett that I do not want to see him or talk to him right now. Maybe in a few days, or weeks, when I've had time to cool off, I'll get in touch with him. Maybe I won't. But I have to do this my way now, okay?_

_I know he's your brother and I know it must be hard for you- this whole thing. But I like to think you are my friend, even though we haven't known each other long._

_One more thing- Alice, please don't feel guilty or in any way responsible for this because of your gift. From what Emmett told me about it, you couldn't have seen this even if you'd wanted to. _

_~Rose_

I closed the email and looked at Emmett. I wished there was something I could say to Rosalie that would convey just how broken up he was over what he'd done. I knew, though, that she wasn't ready to hear it. I opened the email again, and typed out a quick reply.

_Rosalie-_

_You may not be angry at me, but I wouldn't blame you if you were. I know what Emmett did was wrong, on so many levels, and I wish I could have changed the way things happened. _

_Thank you for talking to Edward tonight. I hope you will look into the information he gave you when you're ready. If you have any questions about what happened or why Edward led you there, please know that you can call me anytime._

_One more thing- I like to think you are my friend, too, Rosalie. _

_Hope to talk to you soon, whenever you're ready._

_~Alice_

Looking at the clock, it was 2:30 a.m., I sat in the chair, willing the universe to give me some small glance into how this thing would play out. But with Rose's mind not yet made up, I couldn't see anything. I wanted so badly to be able to give Emmett good news when we woke up. I had never wanted a vision, _needed_ a vision, so badly in my life. I knew, though, that until Rose made a decision there would be nothing for me to see.

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**Emmett**

Sometime in the night I woke up and saw Alice. Her small frame was folded into the chair in my room. Her eyes were closed, but her breathing suggested she wasn't sleeping. Knowing my little sister as I did, I imagined she was concentrating, trying in vain to see what the outcome of this god-awful situation was going to be. I felt so guilty. Not just for what I had done to Rose, but also for what my actions were doing to Alice. She was, once again, beating herself up for not seeing what she considered to be enough.

My eyes were heavy and the room was still swaying a little, so I rolled over and went back to sleep.

Sleeping was no better than being awake. Every time I managed to fall into a deep enough sleep to dream, I saw Rose's face. The dream started the same way- Rose, smelling of orchids and honey and her hair falling over her shoulders, smiling at me. I could hear her saying to me, "It's okay, I love you, too." Then, just as I reached out for her she would disappear. Just fade away, and I would be left in the dark, searching, calling out to her, desperately trying to find her again.

When I finally willed myself to open my eyes again, I could see the first hints of sunlight through the curtains. Alice was still in the chair, only this time she really was asleep. I dragged myself out of the bed and covered Alice with a blanket. I shuffled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. My head was pounding and I had a horrible taste in my mouth. Brushing my teeth, I heard Alice's phone ring in the other room. I shut off the water in the sink and stood next to the door, trying to make out who she was talking to.

"Hello," Alice answered, sleepily. "Oh, I guess he's up....yeah, I hear the shower running....no, not much....yeah...." Her voice trailed off as she went into the outer room, closing the bedroom door.

I assumed she was talking to Edward or Bella. God, they must have all thought I was a heartless bastard. Of course, most of the world thought that already, and that was okay with me. That impression worked to my advantage in business. But I didn't want my family to think so.

I stepped into the shower and let the hot water rush over my body. I tried to wash off the events of the previous night, but even being in the shower reminded me of Rose. The last time we had sex was in her shower. Would that be the last memory I would have of her? I wished in that moment that I hadn't even gotten into that shower with her. I should have pulled her out onto the bed and made love to her, instead of taking her like I did up against the shower wall. But Hormonal Teenager Emmett had taken over....I turned off the hot water and squeezed my eyes tight as the water got colder and colder running over my face and down my chest and body. When I couldn't take it any longer, I shut the water off and reached for a towel.

Opening the shower door, I saw a small glass of water and two aspirin sitting on the bathroom counter.

_Alice. God bless her. I am an insufferable fucking asshole, and she's still taking care of me like always._

I swallowed the aspirin and wrapped the towel around my waist. I didn't know if I had any clothes to put on. I had no idea if Rose had let Edward have my things or if she had burned everything before he got to her place .

I walked into the living room to find Alice sitting at the table, coffee cup in her hand, staring out the window.

"Good morning," I said. My voice was hoarse and my throat burned a little.

"Good morning," she turned to face me, trying to smile. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Not really," I said, rubbing my palms into my temples, trying to alleviate some of the echo that sounded like a drum line beating into them. "You didn't have to stay in there with me, Al. You should have gotten some sleep yourself."

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "I know, but, I thought maybe....do you want some coffee?" She reached for a cup and the coffee pot.

I knew what she thought. She thought if she sat in there with me all night and if she concentrated hard enough, she would be able to will a vision into her head.

"Sure," I said, sitting in the chair across from her. I took the cup and took a sip. Coffee. The world's simplest hangover remedy. Well, that and scrambled eggs. I'd have to call down to room service for some of those. "Was that Edward on the phone?" I asked.

Alice shook her head. "Bella," she said. She reached behind her to the silver rolling cart and came back with a plate. She sat the plate in front of me and pulled the cover off to reveal a huge pile of scrambled eggs and some toast.

"Oh," I said. Sweet Bella checking up on big dumb Emmett. And Saint Alice ordering me eggs and leaving me aspirin. "I should apologize to her," I said, "I wasn't very nice when I went to get Edward last night."

Alice waved her hand dismissively at me. "Don't be silly, Emmett. You were upset. Bella knows that...Eat."

"Still," I said. I picked up a fork and took a bite of eggs. I looked around the room, searching with my eyes for my bag. I saw it sitting behind the sofa. "Is there anything in there?" I asked, pointing at the duffle.

"Yeah," Alice said. "Edward did find it laying in the sidewalk, but..." She looked like she wanted to say something, but was unsure.

"Did she cuss Edward out?" I asked, taking another bite, waiting for her answer.

"No," she said. "She actually talked to him for a minute."

"I'm going to get dressed," I said. I stood up and went to pick up my bag. Heading for the bedroom I stopped and turned back to her. "Alice," I said. She looked up at me with her 'I'm trying not to look at you like you're a pathetic mess even though you are' look. "Thank you."

Alice got up from her seat and walked to me, flinging her tiny arms around my waist. "I love you, Em," she said.

I kissed her on the top of her head. "I love you, too, Al. Now," I laughed, pushing her away. "Let me get dressed before this towel falls and we have quite the awkward moment on our hands, 'kay?"

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I tried. I honestly tried. I wanted to be a man and face up to what I had done. I wanted to get on a plane and go home like I knew I should. I wanted to give Rose whatever she needed in that moment- space, silence, whatever- so that I might eventually have some hope that she would consider taking me back. I promised Alice, after she told me about Rose's email to her, that I'd leave Rose alone. I promised Edward that I wouldn't get drunk again- at least not in an attempt to numb the pain I was feeling.

Yet there I was, in the bar at the hotel, fucking shitfaced again. Alice and Bella had gone to dinner with Angela, Jessica and Jessica's cousins. Edward was in his suite on a conference call with his partner discussing some complications one of his patients was having. I had told all of them they should go on home, but they wouldn't listen.

"I'm here as long as you're here," Alice had said.

"Tyler can handle my patients until we get back," Edward had said.

"I can't go anywhere unless they do," Bella had smiled at me.

None of them tried to convince me to go home either. I had made arrangements already for Mike Newton to be in charge all week, so I was clear until the next Sunday. I would spend that time waiting on Rose to agree to talk to me. I had six more days to try.

Monday night, though, the only thing I was trying was to empty the hotel bar of Scotch. When the soft rock elevator music was too much for my brain to handle any longer, I walked to the concierge desk and asked the man there to get me a cab and a phone book. I found the number I wanted, with some help from Sam, and made my call. I told Sam to be on the lookout for a delivery. He said he would hold the package for me when it arrived.

I told the cab driver to take me anywhere, well, anywhere except for Riley's. I wanted to drown my sorrows, not wallow in the very place where this whole fucked up thing had started.

Ten minutes later, the cab stopped and I paid the driver. I walked into some place called Buffalo Billiards and found my way through the small crowd. I ordered a beer and a shot of whiskey as I sat down at the end of the bar. The bartender was tall and leggy and had red hair with purple streaks in it that fell almost to her waist. She winked at me when she sat my drinks in front of me.

"Wanna talk about it, mister?" She asked.

I stared at her, hoping to convince her it would be to her advantage to shut up. "No," I said flatly. "I didn't come here to talk. I came here to get fucking drunk, so how about you just keep bringing these to me and we'll be good."

"Sure thing," she said. "She must have been a real heartbreaker whoever she was." Red turned around and started filling the orders that had piled up during our short exchange.

_Actually, I'm the only heartbreaker around here. And I managed to break hers and mine all in one god damned minute._

The crowd thinned after a while and the place got somewhat quiet. I didn't want quiet. Quiet made the voices in my head loud enough to hear again.

Alice- _Jesus, Emmett, if you'd listened to me and told her the truth from the beginning...._

Edward- _You have to give her some space, Emmett. This just pulled the rug out from under her whole world._

Bella- _You gave that girl your heart. That has to count for something._

Rose- _Do. Not. Say. One. Fucking. Word._

It was the last one, obviously, that I wanted to silence the most. I couldn't stand the hatred I heard in Rose's words.

"Hey," I called to Red, "you got a fucking jukebox around here or a radio or some shit like that. It's too fucking quiet in here!"

Red handed the college boys at the other end of the bar their beers and then walked over to my end.

"Sure," she said, placing another shot of whisky in front of me. She popped open the cash drawer and pulled out a roll of quarters. "Hey, Linebacker!" she called out. She tossed the roll of quarters to one of the frat boys and said, "Go fill up the jukebox, will ya?" Linebacker got off his stool and headed for the corner that held the jukebox.

"And none of that whiny, maudlin, country, there's a tear in my beer bullshit, either!" I yelled at him.

Linebacker gave me a thumbs up and his buddies laughed, almost cheering at my outburst.

I didn't know what he put on the jukebox. I just knew it was loud enough that I didn't have to hear Rose in my head anymore. I tried to think of anything but Rose, but had no such luck.

_Rose waking up with her hair all messy and her eyes all sleepy. _

_Rose standing in the bathroom, covering herself in that scent that made my stomach turn and my heart leap out of my chest._

_Rose, her body quivering on top of mine, tightening around me, as I buried myself inside of her._

"Rose, huh?" Red was talking again.

I shook myself out of my fog and looked at her, confused.

"You said her name like five times just now," she said, pulling out the bar stool next to mine and taking a seat.

"Don't you have other people to harass?" I asked.

"Look," she said, taking a pull off the beer she had in her hand. "Linebacker is my little brother. I own this joint. If he wants a beer he can walk back there and get it his damn self. There's no one else in here right now except the three people upstairs playing pool, and my girl Carmen will keep those fuckers happy. So, why don't you just tell ol' Tanya what happened with this Rose of yours?"

"No, thanks," I said.

"Come on," she said, taking another drink. "That's what bartenders are for after all." I didn't say anything. "Ok, fine," she said. "We'll play it your way....Let me guess...she cheated on you?....with your best friend, no, your brother."

"No."

"Okay...hmm...married?"

"No."

"Damn, those are the usual suspects," she said.

"It wasn't her, okay?" I said, trying to sound angry, but sounding more like a wounded puppy instead.

"Ahh," she said almost smiling. "So what'd you do?"

"Look," I said, slamming my beer into the bar. "I don't want to fucking talk about this shit with you, got it?!"

"Fine," she said. She stood up and pointed with her beer to the stairs. "You wanna go play a game of pool, then?"

"Whatever will make you shut the fuck up," I said, standing up to follow her.

There were pool tables covering the upstairs and Tanya got us sticks off the wall. We played in relative silence for a while. The only conversation revolved around the game. Tanya made sure Carmen kept the beer and whiskey flowing so I wasn't playing as well as I normally would games in, she had handed my ass to me in spades and I was done. Plus, I had started talking about halfway through the last game and I had told her the whole sordid tale. Well, enough to get my point across at least. The last thing I remembered was sitting at the bar, taking a final pull on my beer before putting my head down.

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**Alice**

Bella and I had just returned to the hotel after a night out with Angela, Jessica and Jessica's cousins. The six of us had gone to dinner and then to a dance club. Bella and I had stumbled into our suites around one o'clock. While Bella crept into her room, I walked into mine and it appeared that Emmett wasn't there. I looked in his room, and sure enough he was gone. I called down to the bar to ask if he was there. The bartender, a very friendly man named Gerald, told me that Emmett had been in the bar earlier, but that he thought the concierge had called him a cab around ten. I quickly walked down the hall and tapped on Bella's door.

"I'm sorry, Bella, but Emmett's gone. Can you wake Edward and ask him if he knows anything?" I whispered when Bella opened the door.

"Shit," Bella said. She motioned for me to come in the room and walked to her bedroom. I grabbed a bottle of water from their fridge while I waited, hoping that Edward knew where our stupid brother had gone. Bella came back, Edward shuffling out of the bedroom behind her, shaking her head.

"Hey, Al," Edward mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Edward," I said. "But he's gone. I called the bar and Gerald the bartender told me that Emmett had been there but that he left around ten. No one knows where he was going."

Edward picked up his cell phone and dialed. And waited. And waited. And finally spoke, "Emmett, you stupid asshole, where the fuck are you? So help me God if you are stalking Rose I'm going to kill you if she leaves anything for me to kill. At the very least, call us please so the girls will stop worrying and I can go the hell back to bed...Oh yeah, and if you're in jail, you're just gonna have to sit there until a decent hour."

Bella and I stood, mouths gaping open at Edward's out of character tirade as he slammed his phone back onto the table.

"I'm sure he's fine," Bella said, putting her arm around me. "Here," she said, "Why don't you go put on your pajamas and come back. We'll wait up."

I nodded and headed for the door. Edward headed back to the bedroom.

"You two can wait up for the idiot if you want, but I'm going back to sleep." And with that he disappeared behind the door.

Bella gave me a sympathetic look and shrugged her shoulders. I stepped into the hallway and could hear my phone ringing inside my room.

"Bella!" I called as I ran into my room. I grabbed my phone and answered, "Hello? Emmett?"

"No," I heard a woman's voice on the other end of the line. "My name is Tanya. I run a bar over on 6th Street. Buffalo Billiards."

Bella had joined me in my room and I was smiling, nodding to her.

"Oh," I said.

"Emmett is here, but he's passed out on the couch in my office. I got his phone out of his pocket and this was the first number in his contact list. Are you Alice?" She asked.

"Yes, yes I am!" I shrieked into the phone. "Emmett is my brother. Is he okay?"

"Oh, he'll have one hell of a headache in the morning, but yeah, he's okay. I just figured since he kept rattling on about how 'Alice is going to kill me' I might call you and let you know he's alive."

"Thank you, Tanya," I said, getting a strange look from Bella. I held up my finger for her to wait. "We can come get him. We're not that far away."

"No need," she said. "My brother is here with me. We'll load him up in the truck and bring him to you. Where are you?"

"The Four Seasons," I told her. "But you really don't have to..."

"I know," she said. "But it's kinda my fault he's so drunk. We'll be there in fifteen. Meet us out front?"

"Yes," I said. "Thank you."

Bella and I met Tanya and her brother and a stumbling Emmett in the lobby fifteen minutes later.

Tanya was tall and dressed like some kind of biker cowgirl. Her obviously younger brother looked like he was probably a football player. He helped us walk Emmett upstairs. Bella walked Tanya and her brother out while I got Emmett into bed. When I was shoving his feet under the covers, he opened his eyes and seemed almost lucid for a moment.

"Alice," he whispered.

"Shh," I said. "Go back to sleep."

"No," he said, trying to sit up. "I need to..." He fell back onto the bed.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "You're not going to throw up are you?"

He shook his head. "No...I just...Fuck, I tried, Alice, I really tried..." He closed his eyes and was out again.

Leaning over to kiss him on the forehead, I whispered, "I know you did, Em. I know you did."

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**End Notes: So...poor Emmett...he's a real mess, isn't he?!**

**Miss B, I hope you saw your little nugget of and idea in there...did ya catch it??**

**I must tell you that you might get spoiled and ind up with two chapters within 24 hours...maybe...the next one is well on its way and if I get enough peace and quiet to day....who knows....**

**Okay, STOP READING THIS RAMBLING AND REVIEW!!! :)**


	16. Chapter 15 Addition

**A/N: Okay...so I added this little piece of juicy information only to forget to change it in the word doc I saved to upload....may not seem all that important, but I wanted it in the chapter, and adding it on it's own seemed better than deleting and reposting.... So, go read 15 (again) and insert this little nugget, 'kay? thanks! :)**

**Alice**

Bella and I had just returned to the hotel after a night out with Angela, Jessica and Jessica's cousins. The six of us had gone to dinner and then to a dance club. Bella and I had stumbled into our suites around one o'clock.

Before we parted ways, Bella turned to me and asked, "So, are we supposed to tell him?"

I knew what she was talking about. At the dance club, Bella and I had run into Rosalie. One of her friends had dragged her out in an obvious attempt to lift her spirits. She looked like she felt as horrible as Emmett did.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe. Though I don't know what good it would do." I sighed, "I'll decide tomorrow. Good night, Bella."


	17. I Can't Take Being Sober

**A/N: I'm going to apologize now for the sadness that is the end of this chapter...I started writing with goofier intentions, but....**

**Thank you to the usual suspects...my hubby for being patient and supportive, my Girls for proofing, Miss Book for continuing to roll out ideas for me to ponder...and all of you who read/review/put me on alert- you rock my socks! Seriously! :)**

**I own...too many clothes as evidenced by the pile of laundry I have yet to fold**

**I do not own...anything that currently belongs to Stephenie Meyer...  
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Chapter Sixteen

I Can't Take Being Sober

**Rosalie**

Monday I was still numb on the inside. Sunday night, or what was left of it by the time I crawled into bed, I didn't sleep for any consistent length of time. Monday morning dawned and I was awakened by my phone ringing in the kitchen. I dragged myself out of bed and to the counter where my phone had been sitting since I'd left it there to go outside and talk to Edward. The real Edward. That part was still a little weird. My E was actually Emmett, and his brother was Edward. Thinking his name was still a little weird, too.

_Emmett._

_Emmett McCarty._

_Emmett McCarty Cullen._

I shook my head and picked up my phone. I saw that it was Peter.

"Good morning, Uncle Peter," I said sleepily.

"Good morning, Rose. Are you feeling okay today?"

"Yeah," I said. "Why?" As soon as the question left my lips, I glanced at the clock on the microwave.

9:30 a.m. I was late for work.

"Oh," I said before Peter could respond. "I'm sorry. I didn't sleep last night. I had no idea it was so late."

"It's okay, honey," Peter said. "Your Aunt Charlotte just wanted to make sure you weren't ill is all."

"Tell her that I'm fine," I lied. "I probably won't be working today, Peter."

"Alright," he said. "I'm sure that Charlotte can handle the little tour we have scheduled with Ms Weber this afternoon."

_Shit. Angela has scheduled a site visit today. _

"Um, Uncle Peter, I don't know that Ms Weber will be able to make that appointment today. Something, well, happened yesterday, and...anyway, I don't think she'll be there." I really did not want to get into the details before I'd even had a cup of coffee.

"I'm not sure I understand," Peter said.

"Join the club," I muttered half under my breath. "Look, Uncle Peter, I'll come in around lunch time and explain it to you and Aunt Charlotte, okay?"

Peter agreed to leave the topic until lunch and we said goodbye. I expected Charlotte to call me within five minutes, but I guess my tone was such that Peter had warned her off.

By the time I reached the factory at noon, I had called the company attorney and had him draw up papers stating that Hale's Angel was officially rejecting the offer of a buyout from McCarty Furniture. I picked up the papers on my way to Peter's office, where I found him and Charlotte sitting at the conference table, Italian take-out set out for us.

"Hey y'all," I said.

"Hey there, Rose," Charlotte stood up and came to hug me. "Is everything okay?"

I hugged my aunt before settling into a chair across from Peter.

"No," I sighed. "Nothing is okay, actually." I could feel the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes and I sucked in a breath to keep them at bay. "There will be no buyout. No deal with McCarty."

Peter and Charlotte stared at me, dumbfounded. In their eyes, in a strictly business sense, I would be insane not to take the deal we'd been offered. I took a deep breath and explained the events of the last five days and the night before to them. Somewhere in the middle of my story Charlotte moved to the chair beside me and rubbed her hand on my arm. When I finally finished, Peter was the first to speak again.

"Son of a bitch," he mumbled. "Son. Of. A. Bitch." He stood up and began pacing the floor.

"Peter," I said quietly, pleading with him to calm down.

"No!" He said angrily. "That arrogant asshole! How dare he treat you like that?! Get involved with you just to...what? Take your father's company away from you?!"

The tears were not to be kept at bay any longer. When Charlotte saw them streaking down my cheek, she took my hand and said, "Peter, please."

Peter calmed down a little and sat back in his chair. I quickly wiped the tears from my face and placed the folder I had gotten from our attorney on the table.

"I had Mr. Jenks draw up papers terminating the deal. I'll sign them, you have to sign them, too, and I'll have them messengered over to Angela at the hotel," I said. "Then they can all go back to Seattle and..." That's as far as my thoughts ever went. Because I didn't know what came after that. My brain told me that the next statement should be, "And then I'll get on with my life." The only problem with that statement was that my heart was arguing back, screaming at me that, despite everything, Emmett _was_ my life. I pushed the emotions out as hard as I could. I had the business end of this figured out. I looked at Charlotte and then to Peter as I continued, "I also had Mr. Jenks draw up another set of papers." I opened the folder and handed them each a copy.

"What is this?" Charlotte asked, briefly perusing the document.

"She's giving us the company," Peter said, almost flatly, as though he couldn't believe what he was reading.

"What?" Charlotte looked at me and took me by the shoulder. "Why? Rose, honey, your father left Hale's Angel to you, not us."

"I know, Aunt Charlotte. And I think he did it to make some kind of peace with me, with us....but you know what? I also think if he hadn't been trying to do that, he would have seen that this company belongs to you and Uncle Peter. I never wanted this."

"Rose," Peter said as he closed the packet. "You don't have to do this now. You really should think about this some more."

"Your uncle is right, dear," Charlotte said, placing her packet back inside the folder on the table.

"No," I said. "This is the right thing. It's what I want. If y'all want to sell, that's fine. I understand. It is an amazing offer after all."

"Speaking of that offer," Charlotte said, a strange sort of gleam in her eyes. "Did it cross your mind that Mr. McCarty was trying to do right by you, offering such an unreal amount of money?"

The thought that Emmett had authorized Angela to make such an offer hadn't crossed my mind. I was too busy being hurt and angry and feeling betrayed.

"It doesn't matter," I said. "This is what I want." I reached into the folder and pulled out the termination papers, signing them. I passed the papers and my pen to Charlotte and Peter, begging them with my eyes to just sign the damn things and not argue with me. When they had finished, I slipped the pages into the manila envelope that was attached to the back.

I stood up and walked to Peter's phone, calling his secretary. "Can you get me a messenger please, immediately. I have something important that needs to be delivered as soon as possible....Thank you."

Peter and Charlotte looked like a couple of deer who had wandered into the road and were staring down a diesel truck.

"It's alright," I tried to smile. "If I can get this company out of the equation, then maybe...maybe..." I sighed as I sat back in my chair. "Can we just eat, please?"

The three of us ate and tried to find something other than the mess that was now my life to talk about. The messenger arrived ten minutes later and took the envelope addressed to Angela. I gave him strict instructions that he was to put the envelope in Angela's hands only. I gave him a description of her along with her cell phone number and gave him an extra twenty dollars for promising he would have it to her in under thirty minutes.

Twenty-five minutes later, Peter's secretary called me on my cell phone as I was driving back home.

"Ms Hale," she said. "I just thought you would want to know that I got a confirmation call that your package was delivered."

I thanked her and hung up, dropping my phone into my lap. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that there had been no problem when the messenger delivered the papers to Angela. I wanted to call Alice and explain to her why I had drawn up the termination papers so quickly, but I had a feeling she would need no explanation. Instead, when I parked my car outside my building, I typed a short email to Alice and Angela.

_I want you both to know that I feel I had no choice but to draw up papers to officially reject the offer from McCarty Furniture to buy Hale's Angel. All things considered, it seemed like the only logical step. I appreciate the generosity of the offer that you presented to us, and I only hope that you both understand why I felt we had to turn it down. _

_I also hope you both know that I harbor no ill feeling toward either on of you for the way things happened between Mr. McCarty and myself personally. _

_Sincerely,_

_Rosalie_

I read the email three times before sending it. I tossed my phone into my purse and headed into my apartment. Despite the fact that every physical trace of Emmett had been tossed out my window, my apartment was still covered in his presence. I couldn't sit on my sofa or lay in my bed or walk into my bathroom without feeling him. I tried to take a shower, but turned the water off before I'd even removed my clothes. I grabbed the remote to the stereo and hit play only to hit stop just as soon as the music started. I paced around my home, searching for an inch of space that didn't have Emmett all over it. When I could find no such place, I grabbed my keys and headed back out the door. As soon as I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I took out my phone and dialed.

"Hey, V," I said.

"Rose!" My friend Vera squealed into the other end of the line.

"You got plans tonight?" I asked her.

"Kinda," she said, "But I'm free right now. What's up?"

"I'll explain it later. Can I come over?" I asked her.

"Girl, you know you can! I'll start the margaritas!"

I laughed, "Thanks, V!"

Two hours later, Vera and I had finished off a blender full of margaritas while I told her what happened over the last week. I had managed to tell the whole tale with a minimal amount of crying.

"Rose," she said, pouring the last of the icy margarita into my glass. "Can I say something? And you promise not to bite my head off?"

I raised one eyebrow at her. Vera and I had been friends forever. We lived together at Texas A&M. She knew that my temper was known to flare. She laughed at my obvious non-promise to her request.

"Okay, fine, bite my head off if you want, I'm gonna say it anyway." She sat down on the couch beside me and took a gulp of her drink. "Rose, I have known you since we were seventeen. That's, like, well, a lot of years. And I have known every loser you ever dated. They were all idiots. You dated them because, let's face it, they let you be in complete control of every single detail of your relationship." I started to say something, but Vera held up her glass in my face and told me with her eyes to shut the hell up. "It's true and you know it. Now, let's take this Emmett...the thing that I think is bothering you the most about this whole damn situation is that you feel like you got the control taken away from you. Your heart opened up for once and by doing that you lost control of the situation. And I'm betting that as mad as you are, you still feel all of those feelings that you felt on Sunday morning...." Vera stared at me, waiting to see what my reaction was going to be.

"First of all," I said, "the thing that bothers me the most is that he fucking lied to me! About the most basic thing about him. He hid his identity, V! I told him my real name the next day and he said _nothing_. Nothing! Not 'Holy shit! You're not gonna believe this!' Not 'Well how's that for irony!' Not one god damned word! He came to me, and I let him stay in my house! We talked for hours, V, hours! And in all the family memories and old stories and all my rambling on about the damn buyout, he never once thought it necessary to tell me that _**he **_was the fucking one trying to buy me out! So, yeah, maybe that feels like I was a little out of control of the situation!" I took a deep breath and let my head fall onto the back of the couch. "I'm sorry, V....I didn't mean to yell at you like that..."

"It's okay," she smiled at me. "I'm just glad to see you _feeling _something and letting it out. You keep shit bottled up, Rose, and it's not good for you. That's why what I'm about to say is sure to get me decapitated, but..."

"Vera..." I warned her not to say what I thought she was about to say.

"No, Rose, you need to hear this. You need to go talk to _him_. Yell at_ him_. Tell _him_ how you feel, how pissed off you are. Let _him _know how bad he fucked up and how easy it would have been if he had just manned up and been honest with you. Punch him in the face if you want to, just do...._something_!"

"I'm sure they're leaving as soon as possible now that I terminated the deal. Hell, he's probably already back in Seattle," I said, running my finger over the edge of my glass.

"So, call him," she said. "Text him, email him, whatever...just _tell him_."

We sat for a while in silence. I was soaking in everything Vera had said. I knew on some level that she was right. But I was afraid that if I saw him, if I tried to talk to him, I'd forget every bit of anger I felt as soon as he smiled at me. Damn panty dropping smile.

Finally, Vera spoke again.

"Look," she said, standing up and reaching for my hand to pull me off the couch. "I'm supposed to have dinner with Maggie and some of the girls from work and then go out dancing, you're coming with."

"Why not," I said, standing up and following Vera into her room. "It's not like I can go home anyway."

Vera and I met her friend Maggie and a few other people for dinner and then headed to the dance club. The place was packed for a Monday night and I was actually grateful for the distraction. The music was loud and the lights were low. I could sit at our table in the corner and drink, watching people as they hooked up on the dance floor. This wasn't as upsetting as I thought it might have been. I actually found myself feeling nothing but pity for these people, as they practiced their mating dances.

_Stupid fucks. They go out there and strut their stuff, hoping against hope to find something....a boyfriend, a wife, a one-night-stand...someone to help them forget all their problems, someone to numb the pain of real life..._

Vera tried her best to get me on the dance floor with her and Maggie. I declined enough times that she finally stopped asking after the thousandth time. I was watching Maggie flirt with a gorgeous man when I saw something across the room that caught my eye.

Alice. There she was, in the middle of the dance floor, trying to coax some semblance of rhythm out of poor, uncoordinated Bella. I couldn't help but laugh a little at Bella's obvious discomfort at being out on the crowded dance floor. The spaz of a frat boy that was dancing up behind her probably didn't help to ease her pain. I saw her roll her eyes at Alice and say something in her ear. Alice shook her head no and grabbed Bella's arm. Bella patted Alice on the top of her head like she was petting a dog and smiled as she walked off the floor. Alice shrugged her tiny shoulders and kept dancing. She might as well have been alone out there for all the attention she paid to the men around her. I saw Bella heading my direction. Our table was in the path to the ladies' room, and I assumed that's where she was headed. When she got close to my table, I waved. Bella stopped still and did a double take. I waved again as she looked at me.

"Rosalie," she said, walking up to me.

"Hey, Bella," I said over the music.

"Wow," she said, "This is a surprise."

"Yeah," I said, motioning for her to sit down in the empty chair beside me. "My friend V dragged me out. I guess she thought I needed it or something..."

"Rosalie," Bella said. I could hear in her voice all the tenderness and endearing concern that Emmett had told me she had in her heart. She felt sorry for me. Or maybe she just felt sorry.

"Bella," I stopped her before she could say anything. "Don't. Please."

She nodded. "Okay," she said. She stood up. "Look, I'm gonna hit the ladies' room. I'll be right back?" It was a question. I nodded and Bella walked away.

Turning my attention back to Alice on the dance floor, I saw her reach into the back pocket of her jeans and pull out her cell phone. She pushed a button and seemed to be reading a text. Shoving her phone back in her pocket, I saw her eyes dart around to where I was sitting.

Bella.

Alice smiled a genuine smile and bounded over to me.

"Rosalie!" She squealed. Before I knew it, Alice had flung her pencil thin yet amazingly strong arms around my neck. "Oh my god! I can't fucking believe it! This is, like, fate or something!"

I hugged her back and smiled. I really liked Alice. Knowing now that she was Emmett's sister and knowing that any hope I'd had of knowing his family better was most likely gone, my smile didn't last long.

"Bella texted you from the bathroom?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her.

Alice smiled as sheepishly as I imagined was possible for her, which was to say, not very much at all. "Well, this was news worth sharing, don't you think?"

Taking the seat on my left, Alice waved to the approaching waitress and ordered three cranberry and vodkas along with three shots of tequila. Bella returned and shortly after, so did the waitress with our drinks.

We tried to make small talk, avoiding the enormous pink elephant that sat in the middle of the table. When I couldn't take it anymore, I spoke up.

"Listen," I said. "I know this must be...hard for you both...and I'm really sorry, I just..."

Alice put her hand on mine, removing it from the rim of my shot glass and holding it in hers. "Rosalie," she said, staring at me with an intensity that far outweighed her size. "Let's get one thing straight, okay? My brother is a colossal ass. There is a reason I nicknamed him Mr. World's Most Eligible Dickhead." Bella and I both laughed. "To say he was an insensitive jerk doesn't even come close to describing how incredibly he managed to fuck this up. But you need to understand one very important thing. And I say this because I like you and because Emmett, well....anyway...I have seen Emmett date many a woman in his day. In fact, ever since college he's been kind of a man whore."

"Alice!" Bella shrieked. "I hardly think that's helpful!"

"Let me finish!" Alice barked at Bella. Turning back to me she said, "So, he's been a man whore...until now. I'm telling you Rosalie, whatever he told you about how he feels about you, it was the truth. You may be too pissed to care right now, but he's a wreck. An absolute wreck."

"Good," I said before the filter in my brain could stop me.

Bella laughed. Alice laughed. I laughed.

"Seriously," I said, "I hope he feels like shit."

"He does," Bella said.

Vera and Maggie were making their way off the dance floor and back to the table. Alice and Bella stood up to leave.

"You should know that Emmett plans to stay in Austin for the rest of the week at least. He's waiting for you..." Alice said in my ear.

"Well, he's going to have to keep waiting," I said. "I need some time, Alice. You understand?"

She nodded and hugged me again. "I do," she said. "You'll call me, though, if you want to talk or if you have any questions about...well, anything you might read up on?" She winked at me as she said the last part.

I knew she was referring to the rather cryptic piece of information that Edward had given me. Her grandparents and whatever had happened to them.

"I will," I said. "I promise."

"Okay, then," she smiled, taking Bella's hand. "We'll talk soon."

"Bye, Alice," I said waving to them. "Bye, Bella."

"Who was that?" Vera asked when she and Maggie sat back down.

"What? Oh," I said. "Just some friends."

*************************************************************

**Alice**

Tuesday morning dawned with me, once again, sleeping in the chair in Emmett's bedroom, willing something from the universe. Emmett began to toss and turn, waking up. When he finally rolled over and looked at me, the expression on his face was a mix of shame and guilt and a monster hangover.

"Good morning, idiot," I said with a smile.

"Hey, Alice," he moaned. "Look, about last night..."

"Don't," I said. "I don't want to hear it. It doesn't matter anyway."

"Yes it does," he said, closing his eyes. "I can't take being sober, Alice. I see here everywhere. See her, feel her, hear her, smell her....Being drunk is the only thing that makes it all go away."

I crawled onto the bed next to my brother and tousled his greasy hair. "You need to take a shower and get cleaned up," I said. "I'll order you some breakfast, okay?"

He shook his head. "No," he said. "I just want to lay here."

"Emmett," I said.

"Alice, for the love of God, just go away!" He threw the covers over his head and turned away from me.

Getting off the bed, I walked to the door and shut it behind me, leaving him to wallow in his own stupid misery.

I walked down the hall to Edward and Bella's room, knocking once and opening the door. "Morning!" I called out.

"Hey!" Bella called from the bedroom. "I'll be right out!"

I fell onto the sofa and waited. A few minutes later, Bella and Edward both came walking out.

"Morning, sis," Edward said. "Bella and I were about to head down to get some breakfast, you in?"

"Sure," I said. "By the way, our idiot brother says he isn't getting out of bed today. He wants to lay there and drown in his hangover."

"Fine by me," Edward said. "At least we'll know where he is."

Edward opened the door and motioned for Bella and I to walk out ahead of him. Downstairs in the restaurant, we joined Angela and Jessica who already had a table.

"So, Jess and I are flying out at three today," Angela said, when we had all ordered our food. "I mean, there's no reason for me to stay here since Rosalie terminated the deal."

"I guess that's true," I said. "Besides, someone needs to get back to Seattle and make sure that Mike hasn't managed to bankrupt us in two days."

"You know," Angela said, "for Hale's Angel's rejection of our offer to be official..."

I knew where she was going. Emmett had to sign the papers.

"I know," I said. I shoved the eggs on my plate around with my fork. "I'll get him to sign the papers."

We finished breakfast without mentioning Emmett or Rosalie again.

As we made our way out of the restaurant, the concierge stopped me, saying he had a package for Emmett. I took the rather large brown box and wondered aloud what was in it.

I returned to the suite to find an empty room service cart in the dining area. There were no plates and no signs of coffee, so I assumed Emmett was eating in his bed.

Knocking before opening the door, I saw Emmett lying on the bed face up with a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniel's in his hand. There was an empty one on the bedside table along with another unopened one.

_Teach me to assume._

I tossed the box on the bed. "You got a package," I said flatly.

"What?" He asked, lifting his head up to look at the box that was lying near his feet.

"I _said_ you got a package. The concierge gave it to me when I was on my way back up." Emmett just laid his head back down. "I see you decided on a liquid breakfast this morning."

"Mmmhmm..." he hummed.

"Jesus, Emmett!" I couldn't hide the anger in my voice. "It's nine in the morning!"

"Alice," he said barely above a whisper, "shut the door on your way out, will ya?"

"No problem," I said, walking out the door and slamming it behind me with as much force as I could muster.

"I swear to you, Bella, I'm _done_!" I was tossing clothes into my bag with no effort being made to fold them. Clearly, I was out of my head. "I will _not _sit here and watch this nightmare one more minute! If all he's going to do all week is get shitfaced and wallow, then I'm _out_!"

Bella reached into my bag and started pulling out my clothes, folding them and placing them in neat stacks on the bed.

"He needs you, Alice," Bella said softly.

"Apparently," I said, snapping up the new hot pink linen capri pants I'd bought when we went shopping the other day, "all he needs is Jack Daniel's! If he would get up off his sorry ass and _do _something to try and get Rose back, I'd stay as long as he wanted, but I'm not going to babysit him while he drinks himself into oblivion for a week!" I stuffed my make up bag into my suitcase and walked back into the bathroom.

Bella sighed and stopped unpacking my bags. "I guess I'll go tell Edward," she said.

"Tell him, don't tell him, I don't give a fuck!" I screamed from behind the bathroom door. "I'm going home! I miss my house! I miss my car! I miss my god damned husband!"

"Have you talked to Jasper lately?" Bella asked in that motherly tone that I usually found endearing, but at the moment was grating on my nerves. I mean, I love Bella, but did she always have to be so...so...calm?! It didn't help that she had a point. I hadn't talked to Jasper in two days. We'd texted, so he knew the gist of what was going on, but I hadn't been able to catch him long enough to have an actual conversation.

"No," I said, walking back into the bedroom and collapsing on the bed.

Bella held out my phone to me and said, "Dial." I took the phone and hit Jasper's speed dial. "I'll be in the other room," she said as she walked out and closed the door.

******************************************************************************

**Bella**

Alice needed to talk to Jasper. No one could calm her down like Jasper. In fact no one could calm her down at all except for Jasper. It was part of what made them, well, them. Edward was in our room on another call with Tyler discussing patients, so I sat on the sofa and turned on the television. A few minutes into an episode of Dr. Phil- that man is hilarious, by the way- I heard a commotion coming from behind Emmett's door. I walked to the door and tried to listen, muting the television. I didn't want to intrude, but I was sort of afraid maybe he was hurt or something. The amount of alcohol he'd most likely consumed was not exactly conducive to walking around.

"Fuck!" I heard him yell and slam something down.

I pressed my ear to the door and closed my eyes so I could concentrate. I heard what sounded like plastic bottles maybe being tossed around, followed by another loud "God damn it!" from Emmett.

I knocked on the door and called to him, "Emmett?"

Nothing.

"Emmett," I called, knocking again. "It's Bella....are you okay in there?"

Feet shuffling. A soft thud on the other side of the door and Emmett's sad, muffled voice, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "What was all that noise? You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

"No," he said. I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was leaning his head against the door.

"Emmett, please," I pleaded with him. "Will you let me in?"

I heard a small click and then what sounded like him walking into the bathroom. He had unlocked the door for me. Slowly, I opened the door. The curtains were drawn tight and the room was dark, save the sliver of light coming out from under the bathroom door. I picked up the empty liquor bottles off the floor and put them in the trash can. Stopping at the bathroom door, I heard him cursing again.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"Emmett," I called out. "Seriously, what is going on in there?"

"Nothing," he said. His speech was a little slurred, which was actually not so bad considering the size of the empty whiskey bottles. "I'm just...forget it, Bella, just go, okay?"

I put my hand on the doorknob, willing myself to open the door, but waiting to see if he would tell me it was okay to do so. When he was silent for a long moment, I decided I was just going to go in. I cracked the door and was immediately confused at what I saw in the reflection of the mirror. I almost started laughing. If, on any other day I had been taking in the sight before me, it would have ben hysterical.

Emmett was sitting on the closed toilet, staring at the countertop. The countertop, I might add, was covered, and I do mean _covered,_ in countless bottles. Lotions, creams, body sprays...it looked like the body care section at Victoria's Secret had exploded in his bathroom. The bottles were all opened and some were laying on their sides, product spilling out into the sink and onto the countertop. The brown box that the concierge had given to Alice after breakfast was on the floor, pink tissue paper all around and sticking up out of it. Emmett was wiping his hands on what appeared to be a wet towel. He tossed the towel into the sink and picked up one of the bottles, pouring some of the lotion into his hands before rubbing them together and then holding them to his face, inhaling deeply.

"God damn it!" He scowled and reached for the towel in the sink again.

_What in the world is he doing? He has completely lost his mind._

I watched as he repeated the process with another bottle, this time adding one of the body sprays in the mix. He tossed the lotion bottle into the trash can and muttered something about it being "too sweet" and "not flowery enough"? He closed his eyes and inhaled the air around him.

In a whisper, barely audible to me, he spoke Rose's name.

_Oh. My. God. _

I crept out of the room as quietly as I could and went to get Alice. She had finished her call with Jasper and seemed to be feeling better, since she was now unpacking her suitcase again. Silently, I waved her over to Emmett's door and pointed to the bathroom. She peeked through the crack in the door and after a moment of watching, hung her head.

"Em?" She said quietly. "Can I come in?"

The sound of another bottle crashing into the trash can was followed by a grunt from Emmett that sounded like, "Why the fuck not."

Alice opened the door fully and took in the mess in front of her. Emmett, still perched on the toilet, wiping his hands again on the wet towel, laughed. It was a dull laugh, not like his normal boisterous laugh at all. This laugh was sad and laced with the sound of failure and a complete vulnerability that I'd never seen from Emmett.

Without a word, Alice began picking up the bottles and reading the labels. One by one, she tossed bottle after bottle into the trash. She placed two on the opposite side of the sink and cleaned up the remaining mess.

Emmett sat stone still, as did I, leaning against the door frame, while Alice got a clean towel and wiped up the spilled lotion off the marble. Then she turned on the water, letting it get hot before taking a wash cloth and soaking it and then wringing it out. She took the two bottles she hadn't thrown out and opened the lotion first. Squeezing a modest amount onto the rag, she followed it with several sprays from the other bottle. Folding the rag in half, she gently rubbed the two sides together before gently wringing it out once more and holding it out to Emmett. Without looking at Alice, he took the rag and held it to his face. He inhaled deeply and a small, sad smile crossed his face.

Dropping his hands into his lap, he looked up and whispered, "Perfect."

Alice nodded and I backed out of the doorway as Emmett stood up. He walked past the both of us and fell back into the bed, rolling onto his side with the wash cloth a few inches from his face.

I walked into the bathroom and picked up the empty box and the dirty towels while Alice went to the bed and pulled the covers over her brother. Quietly, we left the room, closing the door behind us.

"Alice," I said. "What...?"

"He was trying to find her scent," she said.

I had figured that much out on my own.

"What are we going to do with him?" I asked. I didn't want to sound annoyed, but I was starting to freak out a little.

Alice sat down at the bar and picked up her cell phone.

"It's not what _we_ need to do," she said as she dialed. A few moments later, she spoke again. "Rose," she said, making no attempt to cheer up the desperate sound of her voice, "I need you to meet me at the hotel bar in one hour. We need to talk."

*********************************************************************************

**End Notes: See? Sad...I warned you...I'm sorry, really, but it's just how it needed to be at the moment...I promise happier times to come...and it won't be too terribly long...**

**POLL: I put a poll on my profile to see how far into the future (after the eventual reunion, of course) y'all want this to go...go vote and let me know! :)**

**Reviews are way better than hate mail...I'm just sayin'! :)**


	18. Moving On

**A/N: Okay, ladies, two things:**

**1. I know a lot of you were kinda creeped out by Drunk Emmett in the last chapter...I apologize. But, you see, crazy in love drunk people sometimes do crazy things, and Emmett was crazy at the moment...but I promise no more behavior worthy of a psych consult!**

**2. You are getting this chapter relatively quick because school started today, and I'm gonna be crazy busy this next week. So, I wanted you to have some happier thoughts before I'm out picking up my RL for a little while. No worries, I'll still be here typing away, just won't be able to update quite as often...probably back to once a week again. :)**

**My Girls rock as they always do!**

**My hubby rocks even more- thanks for the li'l gift, babe! heehee**

**I own...some god-awful contraption my husband bought at the sex shop that kinda creeps ME out!**

**I do not own...anything related to Twilight or its characters...however, some crazy seems to think SHE owns the plot to BD instead of SM- what's that about?!  
******************************************************************************************************************************** **

Chapter Seventeen

Moving On

**Rosalie**

Tuesday morning, I found myself in front of my computer, screen on Google, the words 'Carlisle Cullen, Sr' and 'Josephine Cullen' in the search box. My finger hovered over the search button.

_Does any of this really matter? How could this have anything to do with what Emmett did? _

I deleted the words from the box, only to type them again.

_Edward gave me this information for a reason. There must be something there. _

I hit "search" before I could talk myself out of it again.

The result screen showed me a list of articles from newspaper archives.

**Carlisle Cullen, Sr, President and CEO of Cullen Enterprises Under Investigation for Possible Insider Trading**

**Cullen Enterprises in Trouble with the Feds**

**Cullen Avoids Jail Time, Loses Business**

**Josephine Cullen, wife of former business tycoon Carlisle Cullen, Dies **

I clicked on the articles one at a time, reading carefully, trying to read between the lines. Edward had told me to keep in mind the gift that Alice shared with their grandmother when I read what happened.

From the articles it seemed that Mr. Cullen had earned a lot of money on Wall Street and some of his deals had caught the attention of the Federal government as being less than on the up and up.

_Insider trading, huh?_

I read each article twice before reading Mrs. Cullen's obituary, dated Thursday, April 5, 1984.

_**Josephine Alice Dartmoor Cullen, 58, died of a heart attack on Wednesday at University of Washington Medical Center.**_

_**Mrs. Cullen was born December 6, 1926 in Portland, Washington, the daughter of Frances and Martha Dartmoor. **_

_**Mrs. Cullen is survived by her husband, Carlisle Cullen, Sr, a son, Carlisle Cullen, Jr, and his wife Emse, and three grandchildren- Emmett, Edward and Alice Cullen.**_

_**Funeral services will be held on Saturday at Acacia Memorial Funeral Home with a private burial to follow in Acacia Park.**_

_**In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Seattle Horticultural Society as Mrs. Cullen was an avid gardner.**_

Alice's gift. Josephine's gift. There had been no insider trading, at least not the typical kind. Edward had said, "she wasn't quite as...judicious in her use of her gift..." when he gave me his grandmother's name. Josephine had died less than six months after Carlisle, Sr had lost his business. I wondered if the weight of knowing how close her husband had come to going to jail because of what they had done was too much for her to take. Had she died because the guilt she felt was too much to bear?

I returned to the Google Homepage and typed in Emmett's name. Two hundred and sixty hits.

_**McCarty Furniture Grand Opening**_

_**McCarty Furniture Revitalizes Downtrodden Industrial District**_

_**Emmett McCarty Receives Seattle Businessman of the Year Award**_

Along with the countless articles in the Business Sections, there were plenty of photographs in the Life and Style Sections as well.

_**Emmett McCarty arrives at the Seattle Museum of Art Fundraiser **_under a photo of Emmett and some blonde, no name, on the museum steps.

_**Furniture King Emmett McCarty arrives at the Seattle Opera Fall Gala **_under a photo of Emmett and a brunette, no name, getting out of a limo.

_**Emmett McCarty, seen here on the dance floor with his date, attends the University of Washington Medical Center's annual Fundraiser **_under a photo of Emmett and a red head, no name again, dancing.

Each photograph showed Emmett dressed in a tux with some trophy date on his arm. I couldn't stop my mind from imagining Emmett in bed with all those 'no name women'.

_Why the hell didn't I look him up before? _

It was so simple. Google. I should have done this weeks ago, when I first heard from Angela Weber. If I had only done it then, none of this would have happened, because I would have recognized him in Riley's that first night.

I looked back through the photos, and couldn't help but notice the smile on Emmett's face in all of them. It was a polite 'yes, you can take my picture' smile, but nowhere in them did the smile reach his eyes or even bring out his dimples. They were nothing compared to the smiles I had seen on his face.

_Hmm...that's odd...Nope, not a panty dropping smile in a single frame._

Had he ever smiled at other women like he smiled at me? Had he really been a 'man whore', as Alice had so lovingly called him, before me? Had those women really meant nothing to him? Was the smile that reached his eyes and brought out his dimples something that I brought out of him?

I sighed and closed the web browser. Looking at pictures of Emmett wasn't helping. I had looked into the information Edward had left me, and now I had to figure out why he wanted me to know it.

The obvious answer was that Emmett didn't want to go into the business world under the cloud of his family name. That made sense. I understood that part.

That still didn't explain or excuse the fact that he lied to me. That still didn't make sense, and I didn't know if I would ever understand that part.

My quiet afternoon was interrupted by the ringing of my cell phone. I answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello," I said absentmindedly.

"Rose," Alice said into the other end of the line, "I need you to meet me at the hotel bar in one hour. We need to talk."

"Alice," I said, "You sound terrible."

"I feel terrible," she said flatly. "Will you meet me, please?"

"Sure, Alice," I said. "I'll see you in an hour."

I hung up and dragged myself into the bathroom. I hadn't bothered to get dressed yet, and I needed a shower.

An hour later, I walked into the bar at the Four Seasons and saw Alice and Bella sitting at a table in the corner.

"Ladies," I said, taking a seat between them.

"Thank you for coming, Rosalie," Bella said.

"Yes," Alice said, "thank you."

"So, what's up?" I asked.

"It's Emmett," Alice said.

"I kind of figured that," I said, occupying my hands with the napkin in front of me.

The bartender walked over, and I ordered a glass of wine, as did Alice and Bella.

"I know you said you need space," Alice said, "but I don't know how much more of this we can take."

"How much more of what?" I asked, unsure as to wether or not I really wanted the answer.

"Emmett!" Alice said, her voice reaching a pitch not often found in nature. "He's a total waste right now! Or, to be more accurate, he's been totally wasted for the last three days! He won't even leave his bed today, Rose! He's just laying there with bottles of Jack Daniel's and..." Bella placed a hand on Alice's arm and I got the impression she was telling Alice to stop. Alice took a deep breath and continued in a softer tone, "He's really sorry, Rose. If you would just talk to him, or at least _listen _to him, maybe..."

I picked up my wine glass and drank half of the contents down in one swallow. Seeing Emmett was still out of the question for me. It hadn't been long enough. If I saw him now, especially if he was as pathetic as Alice made him sound, I might not be able to find the resolve to stay angry. And I was still so angry. I couldn't let it all fall away when he looked at me with his big puppy dog eyes.

"Alice," I finally spoke. "I'm sorry, but I can't. Not yet. I'm not....ready." I dropped my head. "Please, I just need some more time." I finished the wine in my glass and picked up my purse. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, and I couldn't stand the thought of sitting here with Alice and Bella crying over Emmett. "Excuse me," I said, "I need to go to the ladies' room." My chair squeaked on the wood floor when I shoved it back. I practically ran through the bar in search of the restrooms.

*********************************************************************************

**Alice**

"Well, that went well," Bella said sarcastically.

I took a drink of my wine and closed my eyes. "I don't know what I expected her to say," I admitted. "It's asking a lot of her right now, I knew that."

"It's okay," Bella said, patting my arm. "She just isn't ready. We can't blame her for that. We're just going to have to find another way."

"Maybe," I said. "But what if we can't? What if he won't sober up long enough to even go home? What if she never takes him back and he never gets over it? I just wish I could _see _something! Anything! Why can't I see anything?!"

"You're freaking out, Alice," Bella said. "Calm down. You can't see anything because Rosalie doesn't know what she wants, you know that. And Edward will drag Emmett onto the plane if he has to. We'll get him home and then we'll worry about getting him sober, okay? He'll be fine."

She sounded like I wasn't the only one she was trying to convince with her words. I knew Bella was just as worried, just as freaked out as I was over Emmett's behavior. None of us had ever seen Emmett so broken up over a woman. He had never let himself get close enough to one to matter.

When Rosalie returned from the ladies' room, she looked like she had been crying. She apologized again before insisting that she had to go.

"Alice," she said as she turned to leave, "You should all just...go home...."

And with that, she rushed into the lobby and out the front doors.

Watching her walk out onto the sidewalk, I saw her wipe her eyes as she got into a cab.

Bella and I returned to her room to talk to Edward. The three of us agreed that we had to get Emmett back to Seattle as soon as possible. No good was going to come from him staying holed up in a hotel bed getting shitfaced and sniffing wash cloths like a crazy person. Rosalie wasn't going to agree to see him any time soon, and the rest of us had lives to get back to. We couldn't leave him in Austin alone, so we decided to pack up and wait until the last possible minute to tell Emmett we were leaving.

"You said you'd stay as long as I did, and I'm staying until Sunday," he barked at me when I went in to tell him.

"Emmett," Edward interrupted, "this is getting stupid. She doesn't want to see you yet. She's not ready. You're not doing anybody any good, least of all yourself, by staying here, drinking yourself into oblivion all day and night. If you love her..."

Emmett growled a "Fuck you" as he flipped Edward off.

Edward motioned for Bella and I to leave. "Ladies," he said, "things in here are about to get ugly. I suggest you wait for us in the living room." He ushered us out and shut the door.

Bella and I listened as more shouting and cursing ensued, finally followed by the sound of the shower running in the bathroom.

Knowing that Edward was capable of handling Emmett, I called down to the front desk to let them know we'd be checking out. Then I called the airport and told them to have the jet ready to take off in an hour and a half. Bella called for a bellman to come after our luggage and then we waited.

After what felt like an eternity, the bedroom door opened and Edward walked out, Emmett's duffle bag in his hands. Emmett followed behind, clean and dressed, squinting his eyes at the light.

Edward walked to the door and handed Emmett's bag to the bellman who had just finished loading up our other luggage. He walked to Bella's side and put his arm around her waist.

"Let's go," he said.

*********************************************************************************

**Rosalie**

_Well, that went swimmingly. How stupid am I?_

I knew as soon as Alice called and I agreed to meet her, what she wanted. I knew that Emmett wanted to see me, as evidenced by the messages he kept leaving me on my cell. Not fifteen every hour like on Sunday, just one a day so far.

"Rose," he said on Monday, "please...just...talk to me."

"Rose, doll face," he begged this morning, "I just...want you to let me....apologize. Come on, baby...one hour....just give me _one_ hour."

His words were soft and pleading, although slurred from the alcohol.

But it was too soon. I still had decisions to make. I had to decide if I believed anything he had said to me. I had to decide if I was willing to listen to his apology and his explanation for what he did. I had to decide if I listened, would I be willing to forgive him?

I hoped that Alice and Bella and Edward would convince Emmett to go home to Seattle now. I couldn't think, couldn't function, would never be able to feel relaxed enough to make my decisions if I thought he was lying in his hotel room drunk all the time. Plus, if they were gone, the temptation to see him would be gone. And I needed that to be gone.

I called my uncle and asked if he and Charlotte would come over for dinner. I wanted them to sign the papers, taking control of Hale's Angel. I wanted to talk to Peter about a few other things as well. They agreed, and I set about making dinner.

After dinner, Peter, Charlotte and I sat at my kitchen table, papers in front of us.

"Please, guys," I said. "This is what I want. You two have _forgotten_ more about this company than I will ever even know. I want to open a design firm, not make furniture. If you don't want it, I'll help you find someone else, but I'd really like you to have it."

"Fine," Peter said, sighing in resignation. "But we're not taking it from you. We'll buy your shares from you at fair price."

I raised my eyebrow at him. I knew they had the money to buy out my stake in the company, but I didn't want them to do it.

"It's a deal breaker," Charlotte said.

"Alright," I said. "Deal."

Peter patted me on the shoulder and Charlotte smiled. I slid the papers over to them.

"Now, sign," I said, my own smile returning.

*********************************************************************

"Rose," Emmett said. "Wake up, baby."

"Emmett?" I asked, sleep still heavy in my eyes and voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Shhh," he said, kissing my forehead. "Don't say anything."

I opened my eyes and saw Emmett kneeling at the side of my head. His hands went into my hair, stroking it back off my face. He kissed me again, on the cheek this time. His fingers moved to my face, tracing the line of my jaw and around my eyes.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered. "I screwed up...big time...and I'm just so sorry..." He kissed me softly on the lips.

I couldn't stop the smile from spreading over my entire face.

"Oh, Emmett," I whispered.

"I love you, Rose," he said, leaning in to kiss me again. "I love you so much. Please, baby, please say you'll forgive me."

I snaked my arm out from under the covers and around his neck, pulling him closer to me.

"I do," I said in between kisses, "I do forgive you....I love you, Emmett."

Before I could stop him, not that I wanted to, Emmett had thrown back the covers and was scooping me up into his arms. He kissed me hard for a while before pulling back and setting me on my feet. He reached down to the hem of my tank top and pulled it over my head. I jerked at his shirt, sending buttons flying to the floor before reaching to the waist of his pants. Moments later, we were both naked and pressed against one another.

Taking a step back, I found myself falling onto the bed. Emmett crushed his lips to mine for a moment, quickly moving to my neck, collarbone, shoulders and eventually to my breasts. I moaned and grabbed a handful of his hair.

"God, Emmett, I missed you," I breathed out.

"Me, too," he whispered. "I missed you so much..."

Those were the last words we spoke. Emmett kissed every inch of my body, lingering in some places longer than others. I let my hands roam his skin, remembering each soft spot that I had missed so terribly in his absence.

It felt like forever that we spent reacquainting ourselves with one another. When he finally broke the last barrier between us, pushing inside of me, my mind went blank and my heart raced.

Calling his name as I found sweet release, I couldn't escape the sudden ringing in my ears. I closed my eyes tight and focused on the feeling of having him inside of me again. The ringing persisted, and I found myself unable to block the noise from my ears.

Grabbing at the sheets, I sat up- panting, sweating, and....alone.

Reaching to my bedside table, I slammed the offending alarm clock over and over until it fell to the floor with a small crash. I fell back onto my pillow and wiped a stray piece of damp hair out of my face. When my heart slowed and my breathing returned to normal, I swung my feet off the side of the bed and headed to take a shower.

_*****************************************************************************_

**Emmett**

"Mr. McCarty," the pilot called over the intercom. "We should be landing in about ten minutes."

I pushed the button on the wall beside me and spoke into the intercom, "Thank you, Henry."

Dropping my head back onto the arm of the sofa, I called out to the others, "Landing in ten" before closing my eyes again.

My head hurt. I needed a drink. Alice, damn meddling pixie, had my flight attendant get rid of all the alcohol before we left Austin. Now, all I wanted was to get home and empty the liquor cabinet in my study. I'm sure Alice had some half-assed plan to come home with me or some shit, but she was going to have to get over that. I was not going to be babysat. I came with them even though I didn't want to and that would have to be enough for her.

When I felt the plane begin its descent, I sat up and put my seatbelt on. Alice was sitting across from me on the other sofa and Edward and Bella were in the large chairs to the rear of the cabin. None of them had said much, at least not to me, on the flight. I suppose that was my fault since every time they had attempted to talk to me, I had told them to shut the fuck up. Of course, Alice picked that moment to try again.

"Emmett," she said, fiddling with some papers in her lap. "I need you to sign a few things before we get back home. Okay?"

I unbuckled long enough to reach across the cabin and take the papers she was holding out of her hands. Taking the pen that was clipped to the top, I looked at the bottom of each page, initialing the tiny boxes before signing my full name to the last page. I didn't even bother to read what I was signing. It didn't matter. If Alice said I needed to sign something, I signed it. That's how it worked. I put the papers in the envelope on the back and tossed it back to her.

"Don't you want to know what it was you just signed?" She asked, and it almost sounded like she wanted me to say no.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Doesn't matter," I said flatly.

"Okay," she said.

She was quiet for about half of one second before she started talking again.

"It's just...you didn't even read it..." she said.

"Fine, Alice," I said. "Why don't you just tell me what the fuck it was so we can move on?"

"Well, there's no reason to bite my head off, asshole!" She huffed. Quiet again, this time for a little longer. "They were termination of negotiation papers," she finally said.

_Of course they were. If I had thought about it long enough, I could have figured that out. Of course Rose would terminate negotiations. Why wouldn't she?_

"Oh," I said.

No one spoke again until we landed.

At the airport, two cars were waiting for us. One to take Edward and Bella back to Forks and one for me and Alice.

Goodbyes between Edward and me were simple. A one-arm hug and a pat on the back. No words. Bella was a different story entirely. She hugged me fiercely, making me promise to call if I needed anything and to come home for a visit, or at the very least dinner, soon. I didn't want to lie to her, I'd done enough of that in the last week to get me an eternity in Hell, so I went with a vague, "We'll see" instead.

Alice and I got into our car and I instructed the driver as to Alice's address.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" She asked when we pulled up at her house.

"Alice, I'm thirty-five years old. I've lived alone for the past eleven years. I'll be fine," I said.

She tried to speak again, but stopped herself when she saw Jasper walk out the front door. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered in my ear, "You know, you've been a complete ass this week, and I still think you're an idiot."

"Gee, Alice, how sweet of you," I said, smiling in spite of myself.

"But you're still my big brother, and I love you," she said, pecking my cheek again before stepping out of the car and running into Jasper's waiting arms.

I waved to Jasper and called to Alice that I would see her at work on Monday before rolling up the window and telling the driver we could leave.

My house had always seemed a little big for just me and LJ, but walking into it now, it seemed enormous and empty. When I bought the place, I did so with the intention of filling it with a wife and kids in the near future. Eight years had passed, and in those years I had given up on the idea, content to have the place to myself. On this day, though, walking through my front door and into absolute silence, I felt anything but contentment.

That night I sifted through mounds of mail, answered countless work-related emails and listened to a dozen voice mail messages. Somewhere along the way, I wandered into the kitchen and found a beer in the fridge. Seven beers later, I called it a night and headed up to my room to go to bed.

I woke up Wednesday morning to my BlackBerry beeping on the bedside table. Turning on the light beside the bed, I grabbed my phone to see that I had a text message. I recognized the number, but didn't believe what I was seeing. I opened the text:

_If you love me, leave me alone. _

_I'll call you when I'm ready. _

_Please._

_~R_

I started to wonder how she even got my real phone number, but remembered I had left her voice mails and had used the phone to call her. I wanted to call her and beg her to reconsider. I wanted to get on a plane and fly back to Austin and show up at her door and force her to reconsider. I wanted to do whatever I had to do to get her back. Apparently, what I had to do was exactly what Edward had told me to do in the first place- leave her alone. Sitting up, I typed back:

_I do love you._

_So, I'll do as you ask._

_I'll wait a hundred years if I have to._

_~E_

I hit send before I could change my mind and slammed the phone back onto the table. Falling back into bed, I willed myself back into sleep, and into dreams of Rose.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

**End Notes: so i kinda figured I owed y'all at least half a lemon since it's been a while... **

**See, Emmett is gonna man up soon- he's on the path at least! :)**

**POLL: The poll is still up on my profile...go vote!**

**Reviews are better than sex dreams...well...close enough!! :)**

**~cb**


	19. Home, Bittersweet Home

**A/N: Heeee's baaaack.....Emmett, that is. The real one. Not the psych ward one. No more moping for our boy! yay! :)**

**Big shouts to My Girls and the ol' hubby as usual...y'all rock! *mwah***

**Miss Book~ I hope you like what I did with your ideas.... :)**

**I own...school supplies! I LOVE school supplies!! :)**

**I do not own...Twilight or any of the, blah blah blah.....  
********************************************************************************************************************************* **

Chapter Eighteen

Home, Bittersweet Home

**Alice**

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since we left Austin. I hadn't had a single vision- of _anything_. Rosalie hadn't called Emmett.

Emmett, Angela and I were all back at work on that Monday, and we were all grateful to have the last couple of weeks of normalcy under our belts.

The few days before Emmett returned to work, however, had been a different story. I called him the morning after we returned, and he told me about Rosalie's text message. He said he needed the few days he still had to be "on vacation" to try and come to grips with her request. I promised to leave him alone, not to call or come over, to let him deal with it on his own.

Of course, when I went to meet some friends for drinks the next night, imagine my surprise to see Emmett at the bar, too. He was sitting at a table full of people, and seemed to be enjoying himself. I waved hello, but didn't interfere. That's not to say I didn't keep my eye on him the whole time we were there. A couple of hours into the night, I found myself in the bathroom, calling Jasper for reinforcement.

Twenty minutes later, Jasper arrived and just in time.

Emmett was sitting at a new table, surrounded by college guys, laughing and acting like he was one of them. He spotted Jasper as soon the door opened.

"Hey, hey, hey! My man Jazz is here!" Emmett called across the bar. "Somebody get Jazzy a beer!"

Jasper, my ever calm and collected husband, walked over and stood behind my idiot brother. "Emmett," he said lowly, "you need to stop this craziness now. I heard you were surfing earlier..."

"Hell yeah!" Emmett laughed. The boys at the table erupted into juvenile guffaws.

"...on an ironing board," Jasper said flatly, shaking his head. He was probably wondering, as was I, where the ironing board had come from in the first place.

"You know, Jasper, my boy," Emmett said, holding his beer up in the air as if to make a toast, "you have a very sooooothing voice." He turned to the children at his table, "Who wants to hear Jazzy sing?!" Laughter erupted from Emmett's groupies again, and some of them broke out in a chant of "Jazzy Karaoke! Jazzy Karaoke!"

Jasper took the beer out of Emmett's hand and said, "Let's go, Emmett."

"Please, Jazzy, sing, sing, sing for me, me, me..." Emmett sang.

Jasper took Emmett by the arm and pulled him to stand. "We're leaving."

The college boys all "booed" as Jasper led Emmett away towards the door. Jasper shot me a reassuring look and nodded. I knew that he would get Emmett home safely. I stayed with my friends long enough to let the episode pass before I left, too.

That Friday, Angela had decided she would brave Emmett's wrath and go to his house on her lunch hour because she had some papers that needed to be signed and there was a six o'clock deadline. When she returned she called me into her office.

"Hey, Angela," I said as I closed the door. "How was he?"

"Well," she said, "right now he's nursing a punch to the stomach."

"What?!"

"I rang the doorbell, but he didn't answer. I could see his car in the driveway and the lights were on so I knew he was in there. I checked and the door was unlocked so I walked in. I called out to him several times when I walked in," she said, making sure I knew she had made her presence known. "When I got to the study door, it was open and he was sitting in there all sprawled out on the sofa with a glass of whiskey in his hand and his eyes closed. So, I walked over and kicked at his foot to wake him."

"Never wake a sleeping bear, Angela," I said, smiling.

"You're telling me," she laughed. "He sat up, looked at me with his glazed over eyes, stood up and...." she stopped, looking like she was getting nauseated or something. "And he...oh my god, I can't even believe I'm about to say this..."

"What? What did he do?" My mind was racing with possibilities, but I wasn't expecting what she said next.

"He...he stood up, grabbed me and....sweet Jesus, Alice, he _kissed me!_" Angela shuddered at the memory.

"He _what?!_" Did she seriously just say Emmett had _kissed _her?

"You heard me!" She screamed. "That would be when I punched him in the stomach, by the way!" she explained.

"What the hell, Angela?! Why did he do that?!" The image was almost too much for me to take, I couldn't imagine how Angela must have felt. She walked into her boss' house only to find him drunk and then he hauled off and kissed her.

"How the fuck do I know?!" She said. "Not to mention, do you know how long it's been since I've kissed a....a _man, _Alice?!"

The laughter that followed was too much to hold in. I had to sit down. I doubled over in the chair, holding onto the arms for support.

"It isn't funny!" Angela cried. But she couldn't stop herself from joining me. "Okay," she relented, "it's kind of funny!"

Five minutes later, all laughed out, I tried to be serious again. I assumed that Emmett had been dreaming of Rosalie when Angela walked in. I left Angela's office and returned to mine to call Emmett. He didn't answer, so I left him a voicemail.

"Emmett, darling brother of mine," I said sweetly. "I don't know what you're drinking over there, but do you realize that not less than an hour ago, Angela Weber came to your house and _you kissed her?!_" My tone was growing more and more agitated by the second. "All I'm saying is, I think that _kissing_ your Vice President of Acquisitions who also happens to be a _lesbian _ought to be some kind of sign that you have officially lost. _your_. _**mind**_." I took a deep breath and found my sweet voice again, "Call me."

That Sunday, Emmett called and apologized for his ridiculous behavior and to let me know that he hadn't had a drink since he got my voicemail. He said he would be at work Monday morning and made me swear not to mention "the incident", as it would now be known, ever again.

The Monday after we got back to Seattle, he walked into work, right on time, acting as though the last ten days hadn't happened. He stalked the lower floors of the office, letting everyone know he was back. He walked into his office and slammed the door as usual. He yelled at the coffee girl, told me not to tip the messenger because he was two minutes late (which I did anyway when he wasn't looking), and bit poor Heidi's head off three times in one hour.

Yep. Mr. Personality was back indeed.

The last two weeks had been business as usual. When the finalized termination papers arrived from Austin, I gave them directly to Angela to put with the file. Angela, in the mean time, was searching for a new property to buy, hoping to get out from under the Hale's Angel debacle as quickly as possible.

Wednesday she walked into Emmett's outer office, an overflowing folder in her hands.

"Hey, Alice," she said. "Is he in?"

"Well," I said. "He's in there, but..."

"Listen," she said, slamming the folder onto my desk. "I'm sick of this shit, okay? I get it, he fucked up, but life goes on around here. God knows I've had nightmares," she shuddered a little and shook her head, "but we still have a company to run, furniture to make, people to pay. I have a great deal here," she tapped her finger on the top of the folder. "It's time McCarty got his head out of his ass and started working again."

I couldn't help but laugh. Angela was, in her own way, trying to help, despite "the incident".

I smiled at her, "Go on in."

Friday night, Edward and Bella were coming down to Seattle along with our parents. Jasper and I were taking everyone out to dinner to celebrate Edward and Bella's anniversary. I hoped that Emmett would be a good brother and go with us.

Thursday afternoon, following the weekly executives' meeting, I walked into Emmett's office and closed the door.

"So," I said, "dinner tomorrow. You're coming, right?"

Emmett was sitting in his chair and had turned it so he was facing the windows and away from me. He didn't say anything.

"Emmett," I said. "It's Edward and Bella's anniversary dinner, you have to come."

Still nothing. I could tell he had something in his hands. I walked around the edge of his desk so I could see him better. He was tracing his finger over the screen of his BlackBerry.

"Emmett," I whispered.

It was like he hadn't realized I was even in the room.

*********************************************************************************

**Emmett**

I had spent the last two weeks trying to keep myself busy so I wouldn't spend all day and night thinking about Rose. The day after she texted me, I got drunk and stayed that way until Friday night.

When I got Alice's voicemail and realized what had happened in my study on Friday, I poured out the whiskey I had in my hand and got my ass in gear. I remembered going to the study and dreaming of Rose. The next thing I remembered clearly was feeling a sharp pain in my abdomen and seeing a woman storm out of the room. I decided then and there that I was done moping.

Fuck moping. Rose was going to call or not. She was going to forgive me or not. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to sway her decision either way. But I would be damned if I was going to be one of those pansy-ass girly men who sat around moping all the god damned time.

So, Monday morning, I walked into my office and acted as though nothing had happened at all. I had a meeting with Mike Newton, and was a little surprised, not to mention relieved, to find that he hadn't screwed up anything in my absence.

The rest of the week went by uneventfully. There was a shitload of paperwork on my desk that needed attention, and I took it home every night to try and sort through it all. I looked up and realized it was Thursday already and I hadn't thought of Rose in almost twelve hours.

Her memory assaulted me during the weekly executives' meeting. Heidi had brought in some flowers and placed them on the conference table. As she walked away, the rush of air blew waves of orchid in my direction. The scent hit me like a freight train. I don't know how the meeting went or what, if anything, was accomplished, because all I could think about, all I could see, all I could smell was my Rose.

I had gone back to my office and sat in my chair facing the Seattle skyline out my window. Pulling out my BlackBerry, I found the picture I had taken of Rose. She was sitting on the big brown pillows in her apartment, just staring out the french doors that led to her balcony. I softly ran my finger over the screen, trying to imagine what Rose must be doing. Was she working? Was she home? Was she thinking of me at all?

I didn't hear Alice come into my office, but suddenly she was standing beside me, whispering, "Emmett?"

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and quickly pushed the button to remove the picture from the screen.

"Oh, hey, Al," I said, turning my chair back around. "What's up?"

Alice sighed, "Dinner. Tomorrow night. You're coming, right?"

Edward and Bella's anniversary dinner. I didn't know how much of everyone fawning over the love that Edward and Bella shared I could take. I wanted to be there to celebrate with them, but the whole thing was sure to make me feel worse about my own situation. But the thought of the look on Bella's face if Alice had to tell her I wasn't coming, was enough to make me agree to go.

"Yeah," I said. "I'll be there."

"Thank you, Emmett," Alice said. "Bella will be so pleased."

Trying to lighten the mood, I had to ask, "Yeah, but how pleased is Bella going to be with you when she gets that little delivery tomorrow?"

"What?" Alice asked, but I knew she knew what I was talking about.

"Yeah," I smirked, "Rose told me all about the little 'present' you bought for Bella in Austin. Of course, at the time she had no idea..." I let my voice trail off. Rose had told me that 'Mr. McCarty's assistant' had bought one of Hale's Angels' specialty canopy beds and a box of silk scarves and had them delivered to 'her sister-in-law'.

"Oh, _that_?" Alice's eyes lit up. "I can't _wait _to see what Bella thinks of that!"

Dinner on Friday went better than I expected. Edward and Bella were so, well, Edward and Bella. She spilled wine on herself, and Edward acted as though it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. Edward told us about a complicated case he had at the hospital, and Bella hung on his every word.

My parents were surprisingly calm, though I was sure Alice had given them strict instructions that the night was about Edward and Bella and that they were to stay away from any talk of our trip to Austin.

My mother, being the genteel creature that she was, pulled me aside as we were getting our coats from the hostess and hugged me.

"Emmett," she whispered. "I'm not going to interfere, I'm not," she said, "but just let me say..." she took a step back and before I knew it, she had reached up on her tip-toes and slapped me across the back of the head.

Rubbing my neck, I winced a little. "Shit, Mom!" I cried. "What was _that_ for?!"

She reached her tiny hand up and straightened my tie brushing her hands down to smooth out my jacket, saying in her quiet voice, "Well, honey, I love you, but you're an idiot." With that she patted both her hands on my chest and smiled at me. Then she shook her finger at me and said, "And watch your mouth."

"Thanks, Mom," I said, still rubbing at my neck.

Our little mother-son exchange hadn't gone unnoticed, and the rest of the family was standing several feet away laughing.

Alice had suggested that Edward and Bella stay at my place and spend the weekend in Seattle. When I suggested that they might want to head back to Forks to try out Alice's anniversary present, Bella turned fifteen shades of purple and attempted to hide behind her hair.

"Come on, Bells," Jasper laughed. "Sounds like a pretty neat contraption to me!" He winked at Alice. "Say, why didn't you order one of those for us, baby?"

"Oh," Alice said in that sing-songy pixie voice of hers, "ours will be arriving any day now!"

Our parents took the turn in the conversation as their cue to head out, Mom muttering something about "too much information" as they waved goodbye.

Late that night, I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was what my mother had said to me.

_Well, honey, I love you, but you're an idiot._

_Thanks, Mom. Like I didn't fucking know that already._

Wandering around the second floor, I heard someone moving in the library. I knew it was Bella. She was the only person who ever actually went into my library. Opening the door, I saw her up on the ladder, trying to reach a book on one of the higher shelves.

"Hey, Bells," I said. "Want me to get that for you?"

Bella stepped off the ladder and nodded, "Thank you."

I reached up, without needing the ladder and got the book she was after.

"So," I said, handing her the book, "couldn't sleep?"

Bella took the book and sat down on the large leather sofa. "No," she said. "I didn't think you'd mind if I came in here, though."

"I don't," I said. "You're the only one who ever uses this room, anyway."

Bella settled herself between two soft pillows and opened her book. I started to leave, but stopped.

"Bella," I said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said, closing the book and patting the spot next to her on the sofa.

"Well," I said, taking the fringe on one of the pillows between my fingers, "I was kind of wondering if you would help me with something."

"Is this about Rosalie?" She asked quietly. I nodded. "I'll help you however I can, Em," she said, smiling at me.

"Well, it's just...I know I said I'd leave her alone, and I want to do that, Bells, I do, but...shit, I should probably just forget it...." I stammered.

Bella put her hand on mine and patted it gently. "Go on," she said, "tell me what you want me to do."

"Will you....Jesus, this is going to sound so...I don't know, psycho or something, but would you help me...write her...a letter?"

Bella's eyes lit up. "You mean like a love letter?" She asked, her eyes all dreamy and hopeful looking.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, I guess. It's just, I know she won't talk to me, and email seems so impersonal, and I just want her, no I _need_ her to know all these things and...." I felt Bella's hand on mine again.

"I think it's a lovely idea, Emmett," she said. She stood up and went to the desk, coming back with a legal pad and a pen. Handing me the items she said, "Write. Write it all down. Say whatever you want to say. Then I'll look at it, and we'll turn it into the most amazing love letter ever written."

I took the pen in my hand and opened it, hovering over the paper in my lap. Finally, I took a deep breath and began to write:

_Dear Rose............_

_*********************************************************************************_

**End Notes: So...what's that letter gonna say? I'm probably going to go ahead and post it in a little while, so you won't have to wait long...**

**Reviews are better than love letters.... :)**

**~cb**


	20. Dear Rose

**A/N: This chapter is going up so quick after the last one, I'm not even going to bother.... This one is pretty short, but it's kind of the turning point in our little tale.....**

**SM owns...yada, yada, yada...  
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Chapter Nineteen

Dear Rose

**Rosalie**

Two weeks had passed since Emmett and his family had returned to Washington. As hard as it had been not to call him, I had decided that I would give myself three weeks to think about things.

The first week I spent cleaning out my office and readying the company for its second change of ownership in less than eighteen months. Peter and Charlotte were now the joint CEOs of Hale's Angel. The employees were happy and Peter and Charlotte were happy, so I was happy. My mother even told me she was proud of me and that she thought my father would have been, too.

I spent a good amount of time with Vera and Maggie at night, since being alone in my apartment was still too painful. They were good friends and found a myriad of ways to keep me occupied. We went out to dinner and to movies. We ordered pizza and watched bad reality shows on television. We played cards and drank margaritas.

I found myself sleeping on the couch, not yet able to climb into my bed. Emmett's shirt buttons sat on my bathroom counter in a jewelry dish, and I held them in my hands or simply ran my fingertips over them each morning before I left.

I saved the text message he had sent me:

_I do love you.  
So, I'll do as you ask.  
I'll wait a hundred years if I have to.  
~E_

I read it at least once a day.

I thought back to every conversation we had from the moment we met until the moment I stormed out of Riley's that fateful night. I tried to piece together the truth, and was beginning to believe that all his stories were true, just with the names changed or omitted.

I found myself desperately wanting to talk to Bella, she seemed like the heart of the family, and I felt like she would know the right thing to say. And I wanted, with equal measure, to hear Alice laugh that tinkling laugh that was so contagious. I longed to see the smile, the one that reached his eyes and brought out his dimples, that Emmett would give me when I caught him watching me from across the room.

I remembered the day on the boat, and thought about how our afternoon would have turned out differently if Jessica's cousin hadn't had to leave and she had made it to the table with me to "meet" Emmett. I was thankful in a way that we had managed to escape the confrontation that day. My memories of that afternoon on the boat were some of my favorites.

On Monday of the second week, I started scouting for real estate listings in the business district. If I was going to open my own design firm, the first thing I needed to do was find an office space. By Friday of that week, I had looked at ten locations, all of which turned out to be too expensive or just not right.

I spent that weekend, deciding wether or not to sell my apartment. Being there was becoming increasingly difficult. As much as I tried not to dwell on the memories that flooded my brain, I still couldn't help but see Emmett in every nook and cranny of the place.

I had two appointments the following Monday. One with my friend Jane who was an accountant. She was going to help me with my business plan. The other was with my real estate agent, Marcus, who was going to help me look for a new place to live.

Tuesday was difficult for me. I had nothing to do. No meetings, no buildings to look at, no friends to hang out with. I cleaned in a fury that day. I knew if I was going to move, I needed to have the place spotless for anyone who came to look at it. I mopped the floors, wiped down the baseboards, scrubbed the bathroom from top to bottom. I even pulled out the appliances to sweep behind them. Finally, around five I ventured out into town, walking along the edge of the river for an hour or so.

When I returned to my apartment, I realized I hadn't checked my mail since the weekend. I turned the key and opened the tiny metal box. One lone envelope sat inside. I pulled it out and my eyes went straight to the postmark: Seattle, WA.

I don't remember getting in the elevator or riding up to my apartment. I don't remember sitting my keys on the counter or walking into the living room to settle on the couch. I don't remember how long I sat there, staring at the envelope before I opened it.

With shaky hands, I turned the envelope over and slid my finger under the flap. The paper felt heavy in my hands as I pulled it out and unfolded it carefully. I stared at the handwriting, almost too beautiful to belong to a man, for a solid minute before my eyes focused on the words.

_Dear Rose,_

_I know I deserve for you to toss this letter in the trash without reading it, but I am hoping against hope that you will not do that. There are some things that I need to say to you, and I pray that you will read them and listen with an open heart._

_I love you, Rosalie. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone else in this world. Before you, I was nothing. My life was empty. The worst part is that I didn't know how empty is was until I found you. The moment I saw your face, I knew that you were the woman for whom my heart was meant to beat._

_There is no reasonable explanation for what I did to you, and there is no amount of apologizing that can make it right. That morning, when you confessed to me your real name, I was shocked. In a matter of moments I managed to convince myself that if I were to tell you the truth in return, you would assume that I had somehow set you up, that I had known who you were from the beginning. I thought, however misguided I may have been, that if I waited for you to fall in love with me, then you would more easily accept the truth about my identity. I know now that I had it backwards. Lying to you only made you doubt my feelings, and I'm sure your own as well. I should have trusted that you would accept the truth, and I will forever regret that I didn't._

_Please know that everything, and I mean everything, else that I told you was the truth. Everything about my family, everything about how I felt about you...every single word was from my heart._

_My life is empty again, Rose. I never knew how quiet a house could be or how lonely my heart could feel, until now. Fearing that you will never forgive me is almost more than I can bear._

_I will continue to hope that you will believe in my love for you. I will continue to pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. And I will continue to think of you- when I see the sunset from my office window, when I run my fingers over the orchids in the garden, when I catch the scent of the cherry blossoms that remind me of your kiss- I will think of you until you return to me._

_I am eternally yours,_

_Emmett_

I found myself running my hands over the words, caressing the page, attempting to return some of the tenderness in them. The tears that had been threatening to fall from the moment I opened the mailbox began to spill out, running down my cheeks and onto the paper. I grabbed a tissue off the coffee table and blotted the page before the salty drops could tarnish the beautiful words. I read the letter again and again and again, feeling more and more with each time the love and thoughtfulness that had gone into writing them. I closed my eyes and imagined Emmett, seated at a large dark wooden desk, pen in hand, pouring his heart out, all the while afraid that I might never actually see his words or feel the emotions behind them.

Reading the letter one final time, I knew what I had to do. I walked into the kitchen and picked up my cell phone. I scrolled through my contacts finding the number I wanted, pressed the send key and waited, hoping against hope that my call would not go unanswered.

"Hello?"

"Hey," I said, my voice now as shaky as my hands, "It's Rose...."

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**End Notes: Who's she calling??? I can say with some degree of certainty that you can guess, but you will most likely be wrong...we'll see! :)**

**POLL: Don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile, too! Since we're kind of nearing the end, I need to know what y'all want... :)**

**Reviews (as well as guesses about who she's calling) are appreciated as always!! :)**

**~cb**


	21. Together

**A/N: Okay, so here it is...the moment we've all been waiting for...so i'll keep it short...**

**This chapter was WAY harder than I thought it would be! I wrote it and it sucked. So I rewrote it and it sucked again. So I wrote it a third time...and finally got it right! **

**Thank you, G, for talking it out with me and for reading the sucky version without throwing up! heehee**

**L, I'm glad you're back home! Even though it took 24 extra hours and you had to toss your toothpaste at the airport! :)**

**One final thought...my fabulous, sweet, wonderful, supportive hubby brought me flowers tonight...roses...and lilies! awww!! :)**

**I own...tons of new sharpies for school (I LOVE school supplies!) and a new pair of chocolate brown chuck taylors! :)**

**I do not own...anything Twilight, except the books...and four t-shirts...and the movie...and...okay, okay, you get it!**

**READ!!!!!  
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Chapter Twenty

Together

**Rosalie**

"Rose," Emmett said. "Wake up, baby."

"Emmett?" I asked sleepily. I'd had this dream before, and I didn't want to open my eyes to find he wasn't really there.

"Good morning, doll face," he said, placing a kiss on my forehead and pushing the hair out of my face.

I reluctantly opened my eyes. Emmett's smiling face was right in front of mine. My vision was a little fuzzy from sleep, but still it was there. I reached out and ran my fingers down the line of his jaw. He was really there. I was really there.

"Mmm...good morning," I said. Closing my eyes tight and opening them again, I smiled to see he was still laying there, smiling at me, dimples and all.

"What was that?" He asked, laughing quietly.

"I was just checking," I said. "Making sure I'm really awake. That I'm really here. That it isn't a dream this time."

Running the back of his hand along my cheek, he said, "I know the feeling." He reached out and pulled me close to his chest so my face was nestled in the crook of his neck. "I woke up like five times last night and turned on the lamp to make sure myself," he said.

I wrapped my arm around his waist and moved as close to him as I could get. It was then that I remembered we were both naked, as I could feel him pressing against me. I let my hand fall to his hip and traced small circles on his skin with my fingernail. One of his hands snaked around my neck while the other made its way around my waist, and he pulled me so I was on top of him. Crushing his lips to mine, I remembered the night before. The night I arrived in Seattle.

****************************************************

"We'll be landing in ten minutes, Ms Hale," Henry said over the intercom.

Anna, the flight attendant, came walking out from behind the curtain to check on me. "Are you ready?" She had asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said.

I reached into my purse and pulled out Emmett's glasses. I had found them on my bedside table when I was packing. I thought about how handsome he looked wearing them while he was sitting at bar in my apartment reading the newspaper. I imagined him searching his office for them when he realized he didn't have them. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when I gave them back.

Angela had been so helpful in arranging my flight to Seattle. I didn't want to call Alice or Bella too soon because I didn't want them to have to keep the secret for any longer than necessary. Angela promised to keep my plans to herself until I arrived in Seattle. I planned to call Alice as soon as we landed.

Angela had arranged for Emmett's driver, Felix, to pick me up and take me to Emmett's house. Once I was in the car and we were on the way, I called Alice.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Alice," I said. "It's Rosalie."

"Rosalie! Hi!" She squealed. "How are you?"

"I'm good," I said. "Actually, I'm better than good, I hope. I need to tell you something, Alice, but I need to make sure you're alone. Are you alone?"

"Well, Jasper is here, but no one else," she said. I could almost see her bouncing up and down, she sounded so excited.

"Okay," I said. I took a deep breath and said, "Alice, I'm in Seattle....Felix is driving me to Emmett's house right now."

"OhmygodRosalie!Ican'tbelieveit!Didyoujustsayyou'reinSeattle?!" She shrieked.

Laughing, I shrieked back, "Yes! That's what I said!"

"Holy shit! Jasper!" she cried, "Rosalie is in Seattle! She's on her way to Emmett's house _right now_! Oh my god, Rosalie! Emmett is going to freak! I mean, he's going to absolutely freak out!"

"I hope you mean freak out in a good way, Alice," I said.

"Hell yes I mean in a good way!" She said. "I mean it, Rosalie! He's going to die! But what happened? When did you decide to come here? How did you get here so fast? How did you get with Felix? How did I not _see _this?"

"Slow down, Alice! One question at a time!" I said. I went on to explain how I had called Angela on Tuesday night after I read Emmett's letter. I told her how Angela arranged for Henry to fly me from Austin and for Felix to pick me up at the airport. Of course, she pretended to be mad at me for not calling her sooner and for not letting her and Bella pick me up.

"Shit, Rosalie! I'm just in shock! I'm so happy, though! I swear, I wish you could take a picture of his face when he sees you!" She laughed to herself and said, "You know, I hope he's home...what am I saying, he never goes anywhere, of course he's home."

The thought that Emmett might not be home hadn't exactly been factored into my plan, and I suddenly panicked that he might not be there.

"Holy hell, Alice!" I cried. "What if he's not? Then what am I going to do?"

"Calm down, Rosalie. He'll be there," she said. "But I can call him with some stupid question if you want me to, just to make sure."

"God, Alice, that would be great! Text me after you call him, okay?"

Alice agreed and we said goodbye. Five minutes later, I got a text.

_He's home!! Have fun! Can't wait to see you!_

Twenty minutes later, Felix pulled up at the gate to Emmett's house. Punching in a code on the keypad on the side of the driveway, the gate slowly opened. Felix turned off the headlights as we pulled into the circular drive.

Stopping the car halfway through, he turned to me and said, "If I go any further I'm afraid he'll see me. He's usually in the front room at night."

Taking my bag in my hand, I opened the car door and stepped out. I thanked Felix, and he wished me luck. I stood frozen in place as Felix slowly backed the car out of the driveway. Finally, I took a deep breath and walked to the front door. My hand was shaking as I reached up to knock on the large wooden door. I held my breath and waited for the door to open.

********************************************

"Hey," Emmett said, "where did you go just now?"

"Sorry," I said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I was just thinking about last night."

"What about last night?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows at me.

"All of it," I said. "The plane ride, calling Alice, freaking out because I thought you might not be home, the look on your face when you saw me."

"Yeah," he said, "I'm sure that was definitely one for the scrapbook."

********************************************

**Emmett**

Even though I was holding her body next to mine, I still couldn't believe Rose was actually here. In my house. In my bed. I hadn't been exaggerating when I told her how often I'd woken up the night before. Even now, in the clear light of day, it was still a little hard to believe. Seeing her smiling down at me, with her hair all disheveled and her eyes still sleepy, all I wanted to do was kiss her.

"I still can't believe you're here," I said, running my hands up and down her back.

"I know," she said. "Me either."

"You know, you never really did tell me how you managed to get all this past Alice," I said.

Rose laughed and rolled onto her side next to me. She propped herself up on her elbow and let her hand fall onto my chest.

"Well," she said, "I didn't know for sure that she wouldn't see it, but I didn't want her to have to be with you all day and have to keep it a secret. I knew I'd never get a flight out so quickly, so I called Angela. I knew she felt bad about the way things went down because Jess emailed me and told me. I thought maybe if she could help get me here, she might not feel so bad."

"That explains why I didn't see Weber at work yesterday. She was avoiding me," I said, putting the pieces together.

I had called Angela several times and got her voicemail. She had her assistant call Alice back, and she never once came into my office. I had chalked it up to "the incident" but apparently I was wrong.

"So," I asked, "you really didn't call Alice until you got here?"

"Nope," she smiled. "God, Em, I wish you could have heard her on the phone when I told her where I was! She was squealing and talking so fast I couldn't understand a word she said!"

I would have laughed along with her, imagining Alice's shrieking, but I was too caught up in the fact that Rose had just called me "Em". No one called me that except my family. The people who loved me the most. I was so overcome with emotion, knowing Rose would be counted among those people now, that I stopped her talking by leaning over and kissing her again.

"So, do you have to go to work today?" She asked, stretching her legs and rolling onto her back.

"I don't want to," I said, "but I have three meetings today....I can call Alice and have her reschedule, though."

"No," she said, "you should at least go to your meetings." She reached her hand out and touched my cheek. "I'll be here when you get back."

Reluctantly, we got out of bed and made our way down to the kitchen. I showed Rose where everything was and then started the coffee.

"Come take a shower with me," I said, holding my hand out to her.

Rose didn't say a word, she just took my hand and led me back up to my room.

Stepping into the shower, I pulled Rose underneath the water first. She closed her eyes and let her head fall into the spray, getting her hair wet. The water ran down her neck, along her collarbone, between her breasts. She opened her eyes and caught me staring.

"You know," she smiled, "one really ought to get dirty before showering..."

That was all it took. I grabbed her by the waist and kissed her hard. Rose slipped her hand between our slick bodies and wrapped it around my hard dick. Slipping her tongue into my mouth as she tightened her grip on me, I moaned into her, pushing her into the wall. My own hands took hold of one of her breasts and her hair, tugging gently, pulling her head back enough so I could lick her neck.

"God, Emmett," she sighed, "I missed you so much...."

"I missed you, too, baby," I moaned into her skin.

Removing her hand from my length, I took both her wrists in one of my hands and held them above her head on the wall. I lifted her ass up with my other hand and lowered her down onto me. The feeling of being buried in her warmth again made my whole body tremble. Wrapping her legs around mine, she ground her hips against me.

"God....oh, Emmett..."

Thrusting into her faster and harder, she dipped her head to rest on my shoulder and moved with me.

"Shit, Rose....oh, baby.....mmmmm, yeah....."

"Harder...." she moaned, "please, baby.....harder...."

I knew if I thrust any harder, that I wouldn't last long. Feeling her hips as they came down on mine, the contrast of the air and water against me when I pulled out and the heat that enveloped me when I pushed in.....I slowed my pace just a little causing her to moan again.

"Faster," she breathed into my neck, "fuck me, baby...."

Rose lifted her head and put her forehead against mine, running her tongue along the line of my bottom lip.

I took her mouth in mine and thrust harder, faster, until I could feel her walls tighten around me. Her stomach muscles twitched and her legs shook slightly as she found her release. One slow thrust later, I whispered my love for her as I came into her.

I let go of her wrists and her arms fell to her side. I held her until our breathing had returned to normal.

Rose stepped to the side and took the shampoo in her hand, squeezing some into her palm before rubbing it into her hair.

"You know," she said, sniffing, "you're going to have to let me girl this place up a little bit."

I laughed, "If that means we get to do _that_ every morning, you can girl it up as much as you want to, babe."

We finished our shower and Rose went into the bedroom while I got dressed for work. When I came out of the bathroom, Rose was lying in the middle of my bed, wearing my robe, sound asleep.

I sat on the edge of the bed and watched her for a moment. I remembered the first time I had woken up next to this amazing creature and how absolutely beautiful she looked sleeping that morning. Brushing my fingers through her still damp hair, I thought back to the night before, when she came back to me.

******************************************

It was late, past ten o'clock, and I was in the living room watching the local news when my phone rang.

"Hello, Alice," I said when I answered.

"Hey big brother," she sang into the phone. "Whatcha doing?"

"Just watching the news," I said, wondering what she was up to. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing really," she said. "I was just getting ready for tomorrow and wanted to make sure that nine o'clock was okay for your meeting with Angela and the attorneys tomorrow because I can reschedule it for later if you want."

Alice never called me at night to talk about work so I knew her question was some kind of ruse to find out some other piece of information. I just wished I knew what she really wanted to know.

"No," I said, "nine is okay with me. I'll be in at seven anyway..."

"Okay," she said. "I guess I'll see you in the morning, then."

"See you in the morning," I said.

"Have a good night, Em," she said.

"You, too," I said, still entirely confused.

We hung up and decided not to worry about whatever it was she was trying to figure out.

LJ was scratching at the back door, so I decided to take him out in the back yard. I grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and sat on the back deck while LJ ran around the lawn and took care of business. Twenty minutes later, I called to him and he ran towards the house. I opened the back door to let him in, but he stopped just in front of it and turned, taking off around the side of the house.

I followed, calling after him, "LJ! Get back here!"

He ran around to the front of the house, and I heard a small squeal that sounded like a woman's voice.

_What the hell? _

The front gate was closed and the bell hadn't rung and that voice did not belong to Alice.

I came around the corner and stopped dead still. LJ was jumping up on a woman standing at my front door. Her back was to me, but the porch light caught her blonde hair as she reached down to pet my dog.

_Is that? It can't be. Can it....?_

"Rose?" I said quietly to myself, walking toward my front porch. I didn't want to scare her since I was standing in the dark, so I called out to the dog as I jogged over, "LJ! Down!"

Rose turned at the sound of my voice. She looked nervous and tired, but even more beautiful than I remembered.

"Rose?" I said as I approached. "What...how....I...wow...." I was stammering like an idiot, but I was in shock.

"Hey, Emmett," she said. She held something out to me. "I found these at my apartment and I thought....well, I thought you might need them so I figured I'd bring them to you..." I realized then that she was holding my missing glasses.

Stepping closer to her, I took the glasses out of her hand. "I wondered where these were," I said, slipping the frames into my pocket. "So, you came all the way to Seattle just to give me my glasses?" I smiled.

"Well," she said, smiling a little as well. "I also wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" I asked. I had imagined she had a lot of things to say to me, but "thank you" wasn't anywhere on the list.

"Yes," she said, pulling a folded piece of paper out from her pocket. "No one's ever written me a love letter before."

"I should tell you," I said, stepping closer still, "I had some help with that letter."

She quirked an eyebrow at me and asked, "Bella?"

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Lucky guess," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, if Alice had helped, it would have said something like, 'I'm a colossal dumb ass, please don't hold it against me'."

"True enough," I laughed.

Rose clutched the paper to her chest, closed her eyes and whispered, "_I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone else in this world. Before you, I was nothing. My life was empty. The worst part is that I didn't know how empty is was until I found you._"

"That's true, Rose," I said quietly, reaching out to touch her cheek with the back of my hand. "Every word....God, I'm so sorry..." Slowly, she opened her eyes and slowly, tears started to fall from them. Brushing the tears from her face, I whispered, "I love you so much...please say you'll forgive me."

Placing her hand on top of mine that was still on her cheek, she said, "I already have. I love you, too, so much."

Taking her into my arms, I kissed her, and I knew in that moment that everything would be alright.

**************************************************

The ringing of my phone brought me back to the present. Taking the phone out of my pocket, I walked into the hallway so I wouldn't wake Rose. Looking at the caller ID, I was not surprised to see it was Alice calling.

"Good morning, Alice," I said.

"Is it?" She asked.

"You know damn well it is," I laughed, "you meddling pixie."

Alice laughed and squealed, "Yay! So Rose is there? And you guys are okay?"

"Yes, she's here and yes, we are more than okay," I said, smiling to myself.

"Great!" She said. "I'll make some calls and cancel your day and..."

"No," I said. "Rose is sleeping. I'm going to come into the office for the meeting."

"Are you sure?" Alice asked, sounding like she thought I had lost my mind. "I mean, don't you want to spend the day with Rose? I'm sure you two still have some...making up to do."

Looking back into my bedroom at Rose sleeping in my bed, I smiled and said, "I'm sure, Alice. Rose isn't going anywhere. She'll be right here when I get home."

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**End Notes: All together now...Awww! :) I hope you like the way I did this...**

**There's one more chapter before the Epilogue *sniff, sniff* but I promise it'll be a good one! :)**

**I'm kinda sad because the end is near and this has been such a fabulous ride for me! Y'all have been so great and supportive and I love, love, love reading your reviews!**

**~cb **


	22. Wedding Bells

**A/N: Alright, guys, this is it. Last chapter. *sniff sniff***

**IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE, READ THIS....THERE'S A SONG IN THIS CHAPTER- YOUTUBE IT AND HAVE IT READY TO LISTEN TO WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT!! The song is called "To Get Me To You" by Lila McCann. The video sucks, but don't watch it, just listen! Obviously, this would be the song that started this whole crazy ride! :)**

**I have to say that this was one of the hardest chapters to write. I got a serious case of writer's block and thought I might not ever get past it! I think knowing the end was at hand made me reluctant to write it! But here it is! And I must admit, it's right! :)**

**Thank you to each and every one of you for your reviews, messages, support and just for reading this! It makes me happy! heehee**

**Thank you to my two besties- G and L- y'all have NO idea how awesome you are! You are the best betas a girl could have, and knowing you are two of my RL best girls makes it even better! I love y'all! :)**

**Thank you to my beyond awesome hubby for putting up with months and months of my rambling about characters I don't even own and for constantly encouraging me and not complaining (much) about some of the late nights I spent on the ol' macbook! You're the best hubby a girl could have! :)**

**I own...too many plastic cups from Froghead and not nearly enough ponytail holders!**

**I do not own...anything that Stephenie Meyers owns...she remains the lucky girl who can call these folks her own!  
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Chapter Twenty-One

Wedding Bells

**Alice**

Rosalie never returned to Austin. Two weeks after she arrived, she had her apartment packed up and everything shipped to her new home with Emmett.

The rest of our family grew to love her as much as Emmett did. Of course, Edward, Bella and I already adored her, but our parents did, too.

Rosalie had opened a design firm with one office in the city and a smaller outlet in Forks, which she let Mom run for her. I don't remember a time when I'd seen my mother so happy. She had always loved remodeling, and had remodeled our home in Forks many times over. Daddy was just happy she was tearing up other people's kitchens instead of his for a change.

Rosalie and Dad got along great, too. They found that they shared a passion for classic cars and would talk for hours on end about motors and body styles, and all sorts of other stuff I didn't understand, whenever we were all together.

Rosalie becoming part of our family made us all complete, most of all Emmett. He had smiled and laughed more in the last eight months than he had his entire life. We were all looking forward to many more years of "happy Emmett". Not only had Rosalie made a difference in Emmett's personal life, she had helped him make quite a change in his business as well.

Not long after Rosalie moved in with Emmett, they had a long discussion about our grandparents and what had happened. Rosalie convinced Emmett that if he were ever going to be truly successful, he needed to be completely honest about who he was and where he came from.

I will never forget his words at the press conference he held to announce the company's name change. It was the day the world was introduced to the real Emmett Cullen.

Our entire family- Mom, Dad, Edward, Bella, Jasper and Grandpa Cullen- sat in the front row, along with Angela Weber, all there to show their support for Emmett and his decision to go public with our secret.

"For ten years," he said, standing at the podium, "I have pretended to be someone I'm not. I took my mother's maiden name as my last name in the hopes that I could run my business without the scrutiny of those who would seek to tarnish my accomplishments by bringing up the past. I know now that total honesty is as important in business as it is in life." Rosalie was standing with me behind Emmett, and he turned to smile at us both. "My name," he continued, "my _real_ name is Emmett McCarty Cullen. My grandfather is Carlisle Cullen."

The crowd of reporter started mumbling and pens started scratching and cameras started clicking. "As you know, my grandfather's company was Cullen Enterprises and it was lost under a cloud of suspicion that its founder and CEO had participated in insider trading. I will not stand here today and answer questions about what happened then, nor am I here to defend my grandfather. I bring up the past only as an explanation for my actions in not fully disclosing my true identity when I started McCarty Furniture. From this day forward, McCarty Furniture will be known as E. M. Cullen Furniture, to reflect the pride and affection I have for my family's name."

Emmett reached out his hand to me and beckoned me forward. "Most of you know my assistant, Alice Whitlock, since she's the only one in my office who will actually speak to any of you," he said , garnering a chuckle from the bulk of the crowd. "In truth, she is Alice Cullen Whitlock, and she is my sister. She will continue to be the one you speak to, as she is most protective of her big brother, and she doesn't want to have to bail me out when I punch one of you."

Emmett had managed to take a tense, serious situation and turn it into a relaxed, friendly environment. He continued, turning to take Rosalie in his other hand, "And since we're all here, I would like to introduce you all to the woman who is truly the one responsible for this little gathering today, my fiance', Rosalie Hale."

I had never been more proud of my big, strong, confident brother. In Rosalie, he had found his match, his soulmate, the one person on this earth who could complete his life. She had made him see the importance of love and total honesty. She had brought joy and happiness and a sense of wholeness to my brother's heart that he was so desperately missing.

I could hardly wait to get out of that press conference and start planning their wedding. I was determined to make sure that when the day arrived, it would be perfect.

*********************************************************

That brings us to today. Emmett and Rosalie's wedding day. If I do say so myself, it _was _perfect.

Last night, I arrived at Emmett's house and kidnapped Rosalie. Bella, Mom and I took her to my house. Edward, Jasper and Dad went to Emmett's house to keep him company on his last night as a single man.

I didn't want to know what they were going to do, but I felt certain it would involve a game of poker, a few cigars, lots of alcohol. I had made Jasper swear to me that there would be no stripper, though I assumed there would possibly be a little porn, even with Dad there. After all, this was Emmett we're talking about.

My house, however, was to be no den of debauchery. No, ma'am. Mom had brought over all we would need to make Rosalie beautiful for her big day. Of course, she didn't need much help, but there was still plenty to do.

Rosalie and Mom laughed at Bella's widening eyes and her head shaking as I brought out the mani-pedi set.

"Oh, chill out, Bella!" I huffed. "It's Rosalie's wedding day! It won't kill you to paint your damn fingernails!"

Two glasses of wine later, Bella had sunk herself into the large armchair in my living room and surrendered.

Mom surprised us all when she went to her car and came back with the biggest Victoria's Secret bag I'd ever seen. The things she pulled out of it would leave no secrets for Emmett, that's for sure.

"Mom!" I cried, pulling out a red lace camisole and boy short set that left little, if anything, to the imagination, "I can't believe you bought this!"

My mother giggled like a schoolgirl and said, "Rose, dear, I hope it isn't too weird for you."

"No, Esme," Rosalie stifled a laugh of her own, "having my soon to be mother-in-law buy me sexy lingerie isn't weird at _all_!"

The four of us spent the night drinking champagne and painting each other's nails and telling Emmett stories.

Bella told Rosalie about the time Emmett had challenged her to an arm wrestling match. We howled at her retelling of how Jasper had walked up behind her and mooned Emmett, causing him to get just distracted enough for Bella to beat him.

I told Rosalie all of Emmett's most embarrassing teenage stories. Like the time I snuck up on him and his senior prom date while they were making out on the front steps and turned on the sprinklers. And the time he forgot to lock his bedroom door, and Mom walked in while he was getting up close and personal with a Playboy centerfold. And the time we were camping and he went skinny dipping with some girl he met, and I stole his clothes off the tree branch. I could have gone on all night, but Mom made me stop, saying there were some things Emmett ought to get to tell Rosalie himself.

When Bella and I retreated to my room to get ready for bed, Mom stayed behind to talk to Rosalie. Bella and I stood at the top of the stairs and listened, of course.

"Rose, dear," Mom said, "I hope you know how excited we all are that Emmett found you."

"Thank you, Esme," Rosalie said.

"I mean it, dear. You brought him back to us. My sweet son, God love him, spent so much time building that company that he stopped trying to build his life. I had almost resigned myself to the fact that his company would be his wife and children. I can not tell you how happy it makes me to know that won't be the case now. He loves you so much."

"I love him, too," Rosalie said. "It's weird, you know, it's been less than a year, but I feel like....my life started the night we met. It's almost hard to even remember life before Emmett."

My mother took Rosalie into a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"We're just all so glad that you were able to forgive his stupidity in the beginning and that you took him back even though he didn't deserve it," Mom said. "He was, as Alice so eloquently put it, a colossal ass."

"Yes," Rosalie smiled, "but he's _my _colossal ass."

Mom put her arm around Rosalie and smiled, "Welcome to the family, dear."

**************************************************

The wedding ceremony was beyond beautiful. The sun was setting, and as the last bits of sunlight shone through the stained glass windows, the back door of the sanctuary opened. The crowd stood and turned, taking in the beauty that was Rosalie. On the arm of her Uncle Peter, Rosalie glided down the aisle toward my brother. Emmett stood at the front of the altar, making no attempt to hide the tears that about to fall from his eyes. As Peter placed Rosalie's hand in Emmett's, I saw Emmett let out the breath he had been holding in. Rosalie smiled at him and whispered an "I love you" before turning to the minister.

I managed to keep the handkerchief I had wrapped around my bouquet- a very fitting bouquet of white roses and lilies- in place until Emmett and Rosalie began to recite their vows to one another.

"Rosalie," Emmett began, taking her hands in his, "I know I don't deserve you, God knows everyone here knows that, too. Your beauty and grace, your compassion and understanding are far beyond anything I ever could have hoped for. For reasons I do not understand, you love me, you chose me. And I thank God every day for that. I promise to spend the rest of forever taking care of you, keeping you safe from harm, doing whatever I can to make all of your dreams come true, and loving you more with each passing day."

Rosalie put her hand on Emmett's cheek for a moment before she began to speak.

"Emmett," she said, sniffling a little, "Never in a million years did I imagine someone like you. But I knew, from the very first moment we met that my life would never be the same again. You are strong and brave and loyal. You are sweet and kind and tender. I love your sense of humor, the way you look into my eyes and _see _me," she stopped long enough to glance down at their intertwined fingers, "the way my hand fits perfectly in yours. The same way our hearts fit perfectly together. I love you more every second of every day, and will forever."

The minister continued with the traditional "I do's" and finally said the magic words, "I now pronounce you man and wife."

As I watched Emmett lean in and place a sweet, almost chaste, kiss upon Rosalie's lips, I felt a shift in the universe around me. Everything was finally as it should be. The last piece of our family's puzzle had now been set into its rightful place.

Emmett and Rosalie agreed that since it was, in fact, my vision that had put their entire relationship into motion, I would get to announce them at the reception.

I couldn't have been more excited as I stood on the stage and took the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Emmett McCarty Cullen!"

The crowd clapped and cheered as Emmett and Rosalie came into the reception hall. They were both smiling from ear to ear, Rosalie's blue eyes sparkling and Emmett's dimples on full display. As they made their way towards the huge dance floor, I handed the mic over to Rosalie's friend Maggie, whose band was playing, and found my way down the steps and into Jasper's waiting arms. We stood on the side of the stage with my parents and Edward and Bella.

As the applause and cheers began to die down, Maggie said, "And now it's time for the first dance."

I saw a look of panic cross Emmett's face. It had in that moment occurred to him that there had never been any discussion of what song they would use for their first dance. Rosalie had told me weeks ago what she wanted the song to be, and we had managed to make it through all the wedding talk without once mentioning it to Emmett.

Maggie smiled and went on, "The bride chose this song, and from the look on the groom's face, he has no idea what's coming!"

The crowd laughed and Emmett almost looked like he might blush a little. Rosalie took Emmett's hand and whispered something in his ear as he led her to the middle of the floor, and she nodded to Mandy.

Finally, Maggie put Emmett, and everyone else, out of their misery and started to sing:

_**Well I, I still can remember times**_

_**When the night seemed to surround me**_

_**I was sure the sun would never shine on me**_

_**And I, I thought it my destiny**_

_**To walk this world alone**_

_**But now you're here with me**_

_**Now you're here with me**_

_**And I don't regret the rain**_

_**Or the nights I felt the pain**_

_**Or the tears I had to cry**_

_**Some of those times along the way**_

_**Every road I had to take**_

_**Every time my heart would break**_

_**It was just something that I had to get through**_

_**To get me to you**_

_**To get me to you**_

Rosalie had chosen the perfect song, of course. As Emmett took notice of the lyrics, he leaned in and kissed Rosalie, placing his hand on her cheek, smiling at her. They danced, almost floating across the wooden floor, whispering to one another...

_**Well I, I still can recall the days**_

_**When I had no love around me**_

_**Makes me glad for every day I have with you**_

_**And I, I look in your eyes and know**_

_**I'm right where I belong**_

_**And I belong with you**_

_**Always belonged with you**_

_**And I don't regret the rain**_

_**Or the nights I felt the pain**_

_**Or the tears I had to cry**_

_**Some of those times along the way**_

_**Every road I had to take**_

_**Every time my heart would break**_

_**It was just something that I had to go through**_

_**To get me to you**_

_**To get me to you**_

I watched, smiling and crying and holding my mother's hand, as Rosalie sang the next part in Emmett's ear:

_**And if I could I wouldn't change a thing**_

_**Wouldn't change a thing baby**_

_**Because your love was waiting there for me**_

_**Waiting there for me baby**_

_**And I don't regret the rain**_

_**Or the nights I felt the pain**_

_**Or the tears I had to cry**_

_**Some of those times along the way**_

_**Every road I had to take**_

_**Every time my heart would break**_

_**It was just something that I had to get through**_

_**To get me to you**_

_**To get me to you**_

When the song ended, Rosalie and Emmett, and everyone else in the room, were wiping tears from their eyes.

Maggie beckoned the rest of the guests to join the happy couple on the dance floor as the band began to play the next song.

**Rosalie**

I can't say I remember too much about my wedding day, but isn't that usually the case? The night before, I spent my few remaining hours of single life with my soon-to-be family. Alice had us all spend the night at her house, and I enjoyed spending some "girl time" with her and Bella. I was so excited that Esme decided to join us as well. In the last eight months, I had spent quite a lot of time with Emmett's parents, but it meant so much that she would want to spend this night with me.

Of course, I probably could have gone without the Victoria's Secret bag full of naughty lingerie, but I think that's one of those things I'm going to have to get used to in this family- everybody knowing everything and talking about everything. I started to think the whole "no secrets" rule might be too much!

This morning, and every moment leading up to the ceremony is a blur. The day shifted into focus when the doors to the back of the church opened up, and I could finally see Emmett. He was standing at the front by the altar, with Edward, Carlisle and Jasper to his left. Edward reached over and slipped a tissue into Emmett's hand, but Emmett didn't use it. He just let the tears slowly fall from his eyes as I walked closer and closer to him.

The ceremony went by so fast, I don't even remember all that was said. I remember Emmett's vows, and the minister saying the sweetest words I'd ever heard, "I now pronounce you man and wife."

In the limo on the way to the reception, I had a hard time convincing Emmett that he could not, in fact, get me out of my wedding dress and back into said dress in the time it would take us to drive to the country club. I told him it was a Vera Wang and assured him that Alice would dismember both of us if I got out of the car with it in anything less than pristine condition.

He pretended his feelings were hurt for as long as it took me to pull his face to mine and kiss him. Our first _real _kiss as husband and wife. There were moments it was frantic and desperate, and moments it was soft and sweet, but we kissed for the entire ride.

I knew as soon as Alice announced our arrival that Maggie would take over and play the song for our first dance together. Alice and I had made sure to keep Emmett from thinking about what song we would use, because I wanted my choice to be a surprise. The look on Emmett's face when he realized this was something we had never discussed was priceless.

I whispered in his ear as he took my hand, "Don't worry, baby. It's perfect. Just listen to the words."

Emmett took me into his arms and as soon as Maggie began to sing, he recognized the tune. The smile that broke out across his face was all the reassurance I needed that he understood the significance of the music.

When Maggie reached the part that held the most significance for me, the part that had made me choose the song, I leaned in and sang along in Emmett's ear....

_**And if I could I wouldn't change a thing**_

_**Wouldn't change a thing baby**_

_**Because your love was waiting there for me**_

_**Waiting there for me baby**_

"I wouldn't, you know," I whispered.

"I would," Emmett said, a tinge of regret in his voice.

"No," I said, "you wouldn't. It happened the way it was supposed to happen, and it certainly ended the way it was supposed to end."

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're wrong," he said, starting to smile again as he twirled me around in a circle. "This isn't the ending, doll face. _This_ is just the beginning."

**Emmett**

Nervous was not a word that had _ever _been used to describe me. Confident, self-assured, arrogant and cocky probably, but never nervous. But the night before my wedding, when Alice came and took Rose away, I was as nervous as a whore in church. I felt this overwhelming, albeit irrational, fear that somehow over the night Rose might realize what a stupid fuck I was and would see that she deserved better. I could just see myself, waiting at the church the next day, and Alice coming to tell me that Rose had run away in the middle of the night.

When I voiced my paranoia to Edward, my ever-supportive little brother said, "Thinking _that_ is what _makes_ you a stupid fuck, you know that, right?"

I punched him in the arm.

"Geez, Em!" He laughed, "Get a god damned grip, man! Rosalie loves you, she _chose_ you. She didn't have to, but she did. She's not going anywhere. Relax."

Jasper and my dad showed up soon after Edward, and they managed to keep my occupied well into the night.

We played poker, smoked some Cuban cigars my father had been saving, and even snuck in a little porn. Dad acted all embarrassed at first, but then he and Edward geeked-out and started discussing how some of the things those people were doing to one another could seriously injure a person. Leave it to those two to take all the fun out of watching a skin flick.

Jasper said he tried to get me a stripper, just for kicks, but that Alice had seen it coming and threatened his manhood if he went ahead with his plan. Foiled by the meddling pixie yet again.

This morning, I drank a pot of coffee all by myself, which turned out to be the wrong move since it just made me jumpier than I already was. The hours ticked by so slowly, I thought it would never be time to leave the house.

I was what Alice would call a basket case all afternoon- right up until the moment the back door to the church opened, and I saw Rosalie walking toward me. Suddenly, I felt calmer and more at peace than I had ever felt in my entire life.

When Peter placed Rose's hand in mine, I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms and crush her to me in a kiss. I held her hand throughout the entire ceremony, listening intently as she said her vows and hoping mine made sense.

When the minister finally said I could, I kissed my _wife _for the first time.

_My wife._

I said those words over and over again in my head as I kissed Rose.

_My wife. Rose is my wife._

She was mine. Forever. In my heart, and now in the eyes of the church and the state of Washington, she was mine in every way.

In the limo on our way to the country club, I begged Rose to let me under that dress she was wearing, but she shot me down saying something about Vera Somebody and Alice dismembering me if the gown got messed up. I took what I could get, though, and held her in my arms, _my wife, _and kissed her for the duration of our all too short journey to the reception.

Walking into the party, with Alice shrieking delightfully into the microphone, I had started to relax...until Maggie said the words "first dance". It suddenly hit me that Rose and I had never actually discussed what song we wanted to dance to at the reception. Obviously, I didn't really care, but I knew it was one of those things that was supposed to mean something. I was brought out of my panic, only to find out that Rose had chosen a song for us all on her own. Well, judging from the smirk on Alice's face, Rose hadn't been _all _alone in her decision. It was clear that I was the only one involved who _didn't_ know what song was about to play.

As I led Rose out onto the dance floor, she whispered in my ear, "Don't worry, baby. It's perfect. Just listen to the words."

And she was, as usual, right. The song could not have been more fitting, more perfect, if it had been written specifically for us. The moment could not have been more perfect either.

The party lasted well into the night. I didn't like sharing Rose with everyone, but I took comfort in knowing that soon enough, I would have her all to myself. We were going to Bermuda in the morning and we would be there, on a secluded, private beach, for ten days, just the two of us.

Around eleven o'clock, the party was finally winding down. Alice had taken Rose away to change her clothes, and I took the opportunity to slip away and get her wedding present out of its hiding spot.

Outside, under the covered drive at the entrance to the club, Edward helped me load Rose's and my luggage into the trunk of the car.

"Man," Edward said, "I hope you told the photographer where to stand because you definitely need pictures of Rose's face when she sees her present."

"No worries, little brother," I said, smiling, "I did."

**Alice**

Rosalie was changed and her wedding gown was carefully packed away. I was finishing cleaning up, when Rosalie walked up and handed me a large envelope with my name on it.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Just a little something from me and Emmett," she smiled. "Go ahead, open it."

I opened the envelope and found three smaller envelopes inside.

Inside the first envelope was a five hundred dollar gift certificate to Hale's Angel.

"Wow," I laughed. "Now this ought to come in handy!"

"Go buy something," Rose smiled. "Just don't tell me what! Sometimes this whole 'no secrets' thing can be a bit much!"

I laughed because she had a point, and Rosalie motioned to the next envelope.

The second envelope had two packages of flower seeds in it- roses and lilies of course.

"Emmett said those were for the off chance you decided to plant a garden after all," Rosalie said, "though I'm not entirely sure what that means."

I smiled and remembered his smart ass comment to me all those months ago when I'd first shown him the drawing I made from my vision.

The final envelope was the biggest, and inside I found a beautiful, leather bound journal. On the inside cover there was an inscription:

_Dear Alice,_

_Use this to write down all the wonderful things that your gift has to offer. Stories, advice, words of comfort and knowledge. One day, you may have a daughter of your own, and she may share in your amazing ability. She will benefit from her mother's wealth of wisdom. Your gift is precious, no two people know that better than we do. Be proud, Alice, of who you are and what you can do._

_We love you!_

_Emmett and Rose_

Wiping the tears from my eyes, and thanking the universe I had remembered to wear waterproof mascara, I hugged Rosalie tight.

"Thank you, Rosalie! It's beautiful!"

I tucked my presents into my garment bag just as there was a knock at the door.

"Alice? Rosalie?" Bella called from outside.

"Coming!" I called to her.

One last check of Rosalie's hair and make-up later, we were out the door.

The guests had gathered at the bottom of the staircase in the foyer when I brought Rosalie back down. Emmett was standing at the bottom of the stairs with a small velvet box in his hands.

When we reached the last step, Emmett took Rosalie's hand and pulled her to him. He turned her around so her back was to him and opened the box, taking out the contents and placing the box in his jacket pocket.

"This," he said, "is your first wedding present."

He held up a sliver chain with a locket on it. I recognized it immediately. The sterling silver oval locket had belonged to our Grandma Cullen.

As soon as the locket was in front of Rosalie's face, she took it in her hands and gasped.

"Oh, Emmett," she said. "It's gorgeous!"

"It was my grandmother's," he told her, fastening the clasp around her neck. "She left it to me, with instructions to give it to my future wife. She would have adored you, Rose."

Rosalie turned around and looked over Emmett's shoulder to where Grandpa Cullen was standing with our parents. He smiled and nodded to Rosalie, reassuring her that Emmett was right.

"So," Rosalie said with a hint of nerves in her voice, "you said this was my first wedding present? When do I get the second one?"

Emmett's smile was like a kid's on Christmas morning. "In just a minute," he said.

Edward went to the front door and opened it enough to let the guests filter out onto the sidewalk. Once the door was closed again, Emmett nodded to me and I handed him a scarlet silk scarf, which he used to reach up and cover Rosalie's eyes.

"What are you doing?" She asked, touching the scarf with her fingertips.

"It's okay," I said. "It's all part of the surprise!"

I gave Emmett a quick kiss on the cheek and hugged Rosalie before opening the doors wide and stepping outside.

Emmett walked Rosalie to the doorway and asked, "Are you ready for your other present?"

Rosalie nodded. Emmett gently tugged on the scarf and it fell away from Rosalie's eyes, which were instantly flooded with tears when she saw the car sitting in the drive.

The car was a classic, and one that Rosalie had said she always wished she could have. Emmett had spent most of the last six months trying to find one he could buy for her. It was a candy apple red 1935 Duesenberg Phaeton convertible, and it was perfect.

"Emmett!" Rosalie shrieked. "Oh my god! I can't believe this! You _bought_ this?! For _me_?!"

"It's the right one, isn't it, baby?" Emmett asked, sounding unsure even though he wasn't.

"Yes!" Rosalie cried, flinging her arms around Emmett's neck before turning back and walking over to the car.

All the guests clapped and cheered as Emmett walked up behind Rosalie, spinning her around and planting a big kiss on her.

Then he did something no man ever does- he held up the keys and dangled them in front of Rosalie.

"You wanna drive, doll face?" He asked with a grin on his face.

An excited, blissful smile of pure joy lit up Rosalie's face. Grabbing the keys, she arched an eyebrow at Emmett and said, "You bet your ass I do, cowboy!"

Jasper put his arm around my waist and pulled me to his side. Edward and Bella stepped up next to us, along with our parents. Together, we watched as Emmett opened the driver's side door and Rosalie stepped inside. Emmett slid into the passenger seat before turning to us.

"See you in a couple of weeks," he said.

"Bye!" Rosalie called from behind the wheel.

"Have fun!" I called, "Be careful!"

"Who needs to be careful?" Emmett asked playfully, "We've got you!" He winked at me as Rosalie started the engine.

We all shouted our goodbyes as Rosalie revved the engine and they prepared to leave. The guests had lined the driveway and tossed handfuls of orchid petals into the car as it passed by.

I reached out with my free hand and took Edward's hand in mine, and Bella wrapped her arms around us both as we watched the car pull out into the street, taking the happiest couple I had ever seen away to their new life together.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and for the first time in my entire life, saw something just because I wanted to. When I opened my eyes a few moments later, the crowd had dissipated and my family was staring at me.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"You saw something just now, didn't you?" Jasper asked.

"Oh, she definitely saw something," Edward said. "I'd know that look anywhere."

"Come on, dear," my mother chimed in, "tell us."

"Is everything alright?" My father asked.

I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face as I reached one arm around Bella's waist and the other around my mother's.

"Oh, things are about to change," I said. "But everything is going to be fine....yes, everything is going to be just fine..."

*******************************************************************************************************************************

**End Notes: So.....? I love a good HEA, don't you?! :)**

**Thank you again for taking this little journey with me! You make me smile in ways I can not describe!**

**There's a new poll on my profile- go vote and help me pick my next story idea! I have a few floating around in my brain and wanna know what YOU want! Put me on author alert so you'll know when the next one comes up!**

**Epilogue should be up next weekend!**

**~cb**


	23. Epilogue

**A/N: With this, I hit the "complete" button...*sniff sniff*...I am a little sad and a little excited about that. This is the first story I've completed in a loooong time, and I can not thank y'all enough for sharing this with me!**

**Final shout outs to G and L, my RL besties, whose proofreading skills are mad and whose support means everything to me! ;)**

**Giant props to the hubs for being super understanding and putting up with my vicious Twilight obsession!**

**I own...a new package of poster markers and an awesome new sweater...**

**I do not, nor will I ever, sadly, own...anything officially related to Twilight....  
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Epilogue

**Alice**

"Get him, Rose!" I yelled, cupping my hands over my mouth like a megaphone.

Rosalie took off running toward Emmett, who was doing a little victory dance that was a little too obnoxious for me. Edward and Jasper cleared out of Rosalie's way, jumping from in front of an unsuspecting Emmett just as Rosalie approached. Emmett didn't know what hit him as Rosalie slammed into his side, knocking both of them into the wet sand.

"Dammit, baby!" Emmett whined, "What the hell was that for?!"

Rosalie stood up and brushed the sand off her backside and then her hands.

"Don't you know it's not polite to gloat, Emmett?" She asked, smiling. "And watch you mouth!" She pointed her finger in his face when she said that last part.

Rosalie sauntered back toward the middle of the makeshift field, her hips swaying just a bit too much and picked up the football that was laying on the ground, making sure to poke her ass up a little higher than necessary.

"Come on, Daddy C," she called to my dad, "it's time to teach your baby boy a little lesson!"

Dad laughed and waved to the boys to get back into position. Rosalie and Dad were playing against Edward and Emmett. Poor Jasper was acting as the referee, standing to the side and making sure everyone, meaning Emmett, played fair.

Rosalie crouched down, the ball in her hands, with Dad behind her, his hands readied to take the ball when she tossed it to him. Emmett mimicked Rosalie's stance while Edward stood a little ways back, ready to run.

"So, you think I'm going to let you get away with that little stunt, do you?" Emmett asked, an evil glint in his eye.

"Oh, Emmett," Rosalie sang, "that's not the only trick I have up my sleeve."

With that, Rosalie shook her shoulders just enough that the neck of her tank top fell slightly forward, revealing to Emmett a nice view of her cleavage.

"Ha ha," Emmett chuckled. "You act like I've never seen those before. I'm afraid you're going to have to do better than that, babe."

"What?" Rosalie asked innocently, looking down at her own chest, "Oh, you mean these?" She shook her boobs at him enough that his eyes kind of glazed over and his mouth dropped open a little bit.

Rosalie picked that moment to toss the football between her legs and into Dad's waiting hands. She had stood up and was running off behind Emmett before he knew she was gone.

"Jesus, Em!" Edward yelled. "What's the matter with you?!"

"Go long, Rose!" Dad called, taking a step backwards and preparing to pass the football to Rosalie.

Edward took off running toward Dad while Emmett finally moved to make a go at Rosalie. When he got close enough, Rosalie reached down to the hem of her tank top and jerked it up to her neck, taking her bikini top along with it. Emmett froze, eyes wide, mouth open.

"Come on Rose!" Jasper called, covering his eyes with his hand. "Was that really necessary?!"

"Go Rose!" "That's the way, dear!" "'Atta girl!" Bella, Mom, and I shouted from the sidelines.

Edward turned to see what the commotion was about and Dad closed his eyes while he passed the football in the air.

Rosalie let her top fall back down and easily caught the pass, making a run for the two orange cones that made up the goal posts. She crossed the line without any of the men on her heels.

She spiked the ball into the sand, just as Jasper called, "Time! Game over!"

Rosalie laughed hard, "Take that, Cullen!" She pointed at Emmett, who was still standing where she left him.

Rosalie jogged over to where Jasper was standing, trying his best to not look at her, and slapped him on the shoulder, laughing, "Thanks for the inspiration, Whitlock!"

Jasper's mouth gaped open and he looked back and forth between Rosalie and myself, stammering, "What?...I didn't...Alice, I swear I _never._...huh?"

"It's okay, Jasper," I called to him. "I told her about how you helped Bella beat Emmett at arm wrestling, that's the inspiration she's talking about..." I waited for my words to register. Suddenly a look of understanding crossed my sweet husband's face and he nodded, finally laughing along with the rest of us. "Now, come here," I said, "and take Annabelle for a while. She misses her daddy."

"Yeah," Bella called to Edward, "these two are dying to go swimming!" Bella gestured to the twins sitting in the sand hole in front of her.

"Carlie! Masen!" Edward called, and two copper colored, curly heads bobbed up out of the hole. Edward knelt to the ground and held out his arms. Carlie and Masen climbed out of the hole and ran into their father's arms.

Emmett walked over and fell onto the sand next to Rosalie who was finished celebrating for now and had gotten to work helping their daughter, Josie, build a sand castle.

When Josie saw her cousins in the water, she looked at Emmett and said, "Me, too, Daddy?"

Emmett reached out and gently tugged on one of Josie's blonde pigtails and said, "Sure thing, baby doll!"

Rosalie crawled into the beach chair between Bella and Mom, reaching into the small cooler and pulling out a bottle of water. The four of us and watched as the Cullen men (yes, we all call Jasper a Cullen man, too) took to the ocean with the children.

"And to think," Mom said wistfully, "two years ago, I thought I might never have any grandchildren."

The girls and I laughed at that. The vision I had gotten on Rosalie and Emmett's wedding day was of the three of us- Rosalie, Bella and me- all pregnant at the same time. I couldn't see when it would happen, just that it would. So, when I first had my own suspicions that I might be pregnant, I called a 'Cullen Women Meeting' at my house.

"_So, here's the deal," I said that night as we three sat around my dining room table, "I have good reason to believe that someone in the room is pregnant."_

_Rosalie darted her eyes around the room, looking anywhere but at me. Bella's cheeks grew their typical shade of red, and she bit her bottom lip._

"_I think that the lucky lady, whomever she is, should just come clean about it so we can all get excited!" I said, laughing on the inside._

_I looked at Rosalie. She stared back at me. I looked at Bella. She tried to look back, but knowing her blushing cheeks were giving her away, she was having a hard time._

_I took a deep breath and then something I wasn't expecting happened. We all three, at exactly the same moment, cried, "It's me!"_

"_What?" The chorus continued. _

"_You?" We all pointed at one another._

"_Yes!" The three of us squealed._

The men only thought they were tough. Having all three of us pregnant at the same time had made for some interesting moments.

At family dinners, one of us would order something, only to get it and decide it was nauseating.

The guys made countless midnight runs for milkshakes and ice cream and peanut butter cookies.

Rosalie made Emmett stop wearing cologne, and Jasper had to change his hair products like five times because the smell of everything he used made me gag.

Poor Bella had the worst of it, though. As if she weren't uncoordinated enough already, being pregnant with twins made her klutz factor triple. She couldn't see her feet at all by five months, and the last month she stayed in the recliner in their living room, only getting out to take a bath and pee.

Of course, the pregnancies were nothing compared to the day that all three of us went into labor within hours of one another.

Bella was scheduled for a cesarean three weeks before her due date, as is the case with most multiple births. The rest of us were in the waiting area while Bella was prepared for surgery, when my water broke. I was taken into a room and before I could be completely admitted, Rosalie fell into a chair with contractions.

The twins, Carlie Marie Cullen and Edward Masen Cullen, Junior, were the first to arrive. They were obviously the smallest of the bunch, but they both had Edward's hair and Bella's brown eyes.

Annabelle Esmerelda Whitlock was born next, a short three hours later. She had spiky black hair like mine- Emmett said that she looked like a pixie Eskimo- but she had Jasper's nose and chin.

Josephine Lilian Cullen made her grand entrance just forty-five minutes after Annabelle. She had blonde fuzz on her head and when she scrunched her tiny face up, you could see the slightest hint of dimples on both her rosy cheeks.

In the two-and-a-half years since Rosalie had come into the picture, so much had changed. Our family had grown by leaps and bounds, and none of us had ever been happier.

And as I sat on the beach, with the sun going down, I looked around and realized I had a strong sense of deja vu. I closed my eyes and thought back to the first clear vision I had of Emmett and Rosalie and their future.

_The women- me, Rosalie, Bella and Mom- sitting on the beach._

_The men- Jasper, Emmett, Edward and Dad- in the ocean with four of the most beautiful children in the world._

_The sun setting over the water. The football and the orange cones. The picnic baskets, the coolers and the blankets._

I opened my eyes and found that the scene before me was an exact replica of the one in my head.

The Cullens, all of us, together. Happy. Complete.

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**End Notes: The End. **

**Poll still up to take your ideas for the next one...**

**See you soon...**

**:) ~cb**


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